強い人と弱い人
by michi naki michi
Summary: ーShe didn't realize that her curiosity would bring her into something much more than just a feud between Kings and clansmen. /The Strong and The Weak\》? x OC
1. Failure to Complyー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak  
**

**Chapter 1 : Failure to Complyー**

* * *

The tiny girl began to kick and flail against his grip. His arm pulling her towards his body whilst tightly placing a chemical drenched cloth over both her mouth and nose; giving her no choice but to breath into it or suffocate.

She didn't do any of these things.

She continued to thrash around much to the blue clansman's dismay. "Tch-" He clicked his tongue with irritation.

Saruhiko felt her body sag slowly onto the floor and removed the cloth. "Girls during my high school days were-" With his guard left down, the girl's eyes snapped open and kicked the man in the groin.

"Shit. I missed." She hissed before scrambling away weakly and taking off,"Y...ou better get the hell... away from me! O-Or else!" He heard her scream for help as she drew further away from him. The drug must have taken some effect.

Naturally, Saruhiko didn't listen and stood up to follow after her. He dusted off his pants and stuck the cloth back into his coat pocket. He took his time as he navigated through the halls and followed after the girl with a casual walk. He was still careful of looking around the corner before taking a turn through the corridors.

He navigated even more and found the girl sprawled on the ground; her ebony hair sticking out amongst the light flooring. The blue haired man walked to her side and bent down next to her. He was unsure if she was playing him again or she was really knocked out. He rolled her over slightly and she was indeed passed out; her breathing was still kept at a steady pace.

Before turning around to leave, an approaching voice was heard. Resounding footsteps drew closer and the person's voice was much clearer,"Haruna. Are you here?" It was a soft, deep voice and the blue haired assumed it was some male teacher.

He stared back down at the girl and made quick, calm action; picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. With light steps, he turned another corner and waited for footsteps to pass. This girl has proven to be an obstacle that wasted time. He wouldn't be able to get to the student council office and access the school's database at this point.

He was unable to find out whether or not that boy was enrolled at the school. The nineteen year old pulled his head down slightly and clenched his teeth. He decided to pull back and report.

"Girls during my high school days were so troublesome."

* * *

**A/N: I don't own 'K' or any of its characters.  
Just my OC.  
**

** ; u ;**

**This was an idea a friend pushed on me and I felt that I should try writing about it... even though I am all Saru and Misaki. So, I dunno if I'll continue this. Depends on my motivation.  
**

**; u ;"  
**

**I have this habit of writing my stories on my iPhone, so I'll (probably) be getting back to this later for some edits when I get to a computer.  
**


	2. Failure to Resistー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak  
**

**Chapter 2 : Failure to Resistー**

* * *

_It was like any other day._

* * *

She didn't notice him around the corner of the staircase. His hand had snaked around her neck; slender fingers keeping her in place. She realized the situation had become dire once the cloth was placed over her mouth and nose.

'Oh God, Oh God...! What's happening?!' Her thoughts began to go haywire,'W-What do I do?!'

She already found herself losing consciousness. Scared, she quickly held her breath and pretended to give in slowly. She slowly pulled herself down to the floor in an attempt to act sedated. She didn't know if her assaulter had fell for it, but she decided to risk it.

She dropped her body completely and "lifelessly" to the ground. Apparently her act had worked and she felt the man's grip loosen and remove the fabric. Taking this opportunity, she opened her eyes and swiftly aimed for his "prized possessions". Sadly, the closest she got was his groin. She took a good, brief look at him as a staggered a little. He was clad in a blue coat, a white shirt and vest. His head was down, but she did see his black framed glasses glint in the light.

He had a rapier at his hip as well.

Fear coursed through her veins once more and it sent her escaping down the the halls. She scrambled away and turned back to him briefly,"Y...ou better get the hell... away from me! O-Or else!. Her long hair swayed behind her violently. Haruna couldn't think of any sort of elaborate threat. She didn't know if it even mattered anymore. The eighteen year old fell to the floor and cursed to herself,"D-Damn it, I breathed some of it i-in...!"

The steady, casual steps of boots clicked closer and closer as she slowly lost consciousness.

* * *

_It was supposed to be like any other day._

* * *

**A/N: As you can see, I've updated.**

******And you're probably speaking to the screen right now saying,"No shit."**

** This chapter was meant to fill in what happened before Saruhiko came along in Haruna's point of view; Haruna having flashbacks while she's rendered unconscious. I also made this so it happened during episode 5 during the festival preparations.  
**

**Thank you Anons for your reviews! Without interested people and even more beckons from my friend, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be writing this right now. I once again wrote this on my iPhone, so I need to revisit the computer for possible weird grammar errors and sentence structures. I really think I might continue this, bahaha.  
**

**See you guys next time.**

* * *

******EDIT 4/4 - Thank you Anon for pointing that out the way Haruna heard Neko address Yashiro. That is very true! I'M VERY HAPPY YOU POINTED THAT OUT! How could I overlook this?! Muahaha. I'm starting to feel even more conscious about the amount of mistakes this chapter might have now. I really need to get to a computer soon! D:  
**

**And:**

**I've gained access to a computer today! Whoohoo! I was reading this chapter over and you know what I realized? The whole Kuroh and Neko moments with my OC didn't sound good to me in here. I didn't like it. I'm sorry if you did like it, but please bear with me because there is more to come. I am glad that the Anon who pointed out my mistakes did what they did. Its good to fix those errors so I won't do it every single time, so once again, thank you.  
**


	3. What Do You Mean 'Kidnapped'ー

**強い人と弱い人**  
**The Strong and The Weak**

**Chapter 3 : What Do You Mean "Kidnapped"?ー**

* * *

"Excuse me, but where am I again?"

She's just gained consciousness after being assaulted and right now she was in the middle of being interrogated. How the hell did it come to this?

"Scepter 4's base of operations." Another man clad in a blue uniform replied from behind an office desk in front of her. Haruna stared at him intently; twirling the layered ends of her hair while listening to him closely,"I'll ask you again, Aigasa-san. Is there anybody within Ashinaka High School that resembles this boy?"

He slid a computerized photo of a teen dressed with their school uniform with a gun pointed towards the camera. The quality of the image was fuzzy, but the manic glint in his eye and that disturbing smile had already sent shivers down her spine. The words that came out of her mouth were not about the picture or whether she knew the boy or not, but something else she felt she had to address right away,"You look an awful lot like that _creep_ who kidnapped me."

The busty woman who stood by the seated man bent down to meet his ear. He nodded his head slightly as she whispered into his ear. Haruna eyed them in silence until the woman stepped away and the man calmly folded his hands atop the table. He cleared his throat and introduced himself, pushing his glasses up with a finger,"Reisi Munakata. Captain of Scepter 4." The schoolgirl's gaze shifted to the blonde woman who proceeded to leave the room.

"You must forgive me." She looked back to the captain who resumed piecing together the puzzle on his desk,"This afternoon, we had entered your school and addressed your teacher about this boy and his involvement in a case we are currently investigating."

"What kind of crime did he commit?" Her chocolate eyes widened with curiosity.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot disclose that to you or the public." Reisi replied without meeting her disappointed expression,"In any case, I also apologize about one of my subordinate's actions towards you. He needed access to the school's student council office in order to find this student-"

"So he had to drug me." She cut in,"Which kind of did work."

**"It did work, but it wouldn't have been so difficult if you didn't struggle."**

Haruna turned her head to see the women with the skimpy outfit and the creep with an expression full of disinterest. As much as she wanted to stand up right away and cut him into little pieces, she remained seated. The sabers that each person kept on their hilt was intimidating her.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to being forced to breath in chemicals and getting kidnapped, you know?"

A smile crept onto his lips,"Kidnapped? What a childish-"

**"Fushimi-kun."**

He clicked his tongue at his higher ranking officer's intrusion.

Reisi finally looked up from his puzzle and asked the eighteen year old again,"Aigasa-san, please give me an answer. Have you seen him on campus?" Haruna's eyes flickered back to the device's monitor with the boy's photo. All three Scepter4 associates eyed her as she pondered.

She shook her head.

"Never." She admitted,"I don't even recognize him anywhere." Another silence filled the room and she began to feel uncomfortable. She knew that wasn't the answer they wanted to hear.

The Scepter 4 captain broke through the discomfort by giving out a sigh,"Thank you, Aigasa-san; for cooperating with us today." He removed his glasses and propped his elbows onto the table; leaning his head into his hands,"Awashima-kun. Please transport her back to her living quarters for today."

The woman turned to their captain,"I still have work to do at Ashinaka. Is it possible to leave that to Fushimi-kun?" All eyes were now set onto the dazed officer who stared at them blankly.**  
**

"What?"

"Take the young lady back to her living quarters." Reisi repeated to the young man. The creep looked to his superiors. "I'll assign this as a Level: Azure Blue." The man seated at the table informed him. The nineteen year old thrust his hands into his pockets with an irritated expression and wordlessly averted his gaze towards the wall.

Reisi finally brought Haruna, who was feeling incredible tired at the moment, into the conversation,"You must be feeling tired after what happened. It's completely understandable. Allow us to escort you to your apartment complex."

Haruna heard another light, almost inaudible sound of a tongue clicking in dismay from the young man with messy hair,"I'll be the one doing the escorting."

**"Fushimi-kun?"**

She heard him exhale before replying,"Nothing, sir."

* * *

**A/N:** **Wow, these chapters are s-h-o-r-t. I usually write twice as much, but it wouldn't feel right to me if I added the next part into this chapter.**

** Eruruu4 and Guest:  
**

**Maybe****ー**

******Probably****ー**

**Most likely****ー**

**You might be able to get an answer out of me by the next chapter.  
See you guys next time. C;  
**


	4. I Hate You, You Bastard!ー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak  
**

**Chapter 4 : I Hate You, You Bastard!ー**

* * *

Haruna and the creep exited Scepter 4 headquarters together. Well. Not technically together. The schoolgirl thought it was a good idea to stay behind the guy just in case he might pull something else off. It was already dark out and she knew that school had already long gone out. Scepter 4. Everyone in the building was clad in long, blue coat with an exception of one, the woman in the skimpy skirt. She didn't know this organization's purpose or affiliation, but...

Did they really have to make such a vulgar outfit for the ladies? Her dark eyebrows furrowed together with deep thought,_'It must be incredibly uncomfortable.' _She remembered the sabers positioned at their hips. _'Oh my God, and they fight? She fights with that on?! That's... That's-'_

Suddenly, she bumped head first into the back of her kidnapper's back.

"Hey. Watch it, Sashimi."

"Sashimi." No reply was heard and she continued to call out,"Sashimi-"

"We're already here." He cut in with irritation,"You forgot where you lived and made me lead the way, huh?"

"Why do you know where I live? And it's not my fault if I **might've** forgotten." She countered,"I get drugged by you and get kidnapped-" Wait. What happened while she was passed out. She paused for a moment before adding,"Wait... You didn't...!"

Sashimi let out a chuckle,"What? Rape you?"

"Wh-Wha...?!" Haruna was rendered speechless. She looked down to the ground in embarrassment.

"You have a chest like a washboard." He added amusedly,"Zero sex appeal." Each word made her flush even more. The nerve of this guy...! _'At least... At least...!'_

"A-At least I don't have a stupid ass name like 'Sashimi'!"

He was staring down at her with a tiny smirk. She didn't realize how tall he was. She was about a head shorter than him. He grew even more intimidating as he started to saunter towards her. The girl took a deep breath,"I hate you. Very, very much."

"How rude." He stated apathetically,"I'm walking you home to ensure that your safety is not endangered."

"You are the only thing that's endangering my safety." Haruna turned her heel and started walking towards the brick building; her apartment. "I already know you didn't do anything to me, though."

Sashimi stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked behind her as they ascended the staircase,"How can you be so sure?" He asked lamely.

Haruna stifled a giggle. This guy was actually funny. She composed herself before answering him,"You seem far too lazy to do something like that. I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't be doing this if your captain didn't raise it to this Level: Azure Blue assignment or whatever, Sashimi."

"Saruhiko Fushimi."

"What?"

"My name."

"You'll still be that stupid fish who's to blame for taking over five hours of my life."

He didn't answer to that and simply let out an exasperated breath. They stopped at 'Room 18' at the second floor. Haruna faced the young clansman and addressed him,"I'm curious about something."Saruhiko a hand at the back of his neck and asked her with a disdained look,"What is it?"

"What exactly is Scepter 4?" Her slender fingers produced a key from the bag and she slid it into the door's lock. With a a tiny click she turned the knob and entered the room. She turned around to meet his gaze. The lamps that lit the open halls dimly illuminated his features. "We are a type of enforcement that deals with... certain affairs." His expression remained straight and it wasn't one that she could read.

"You sound like you don't even know who or what you're working for." She scoffed,"When you mean certain situations, I bet you mean HOMRA." Lately, there's been talk both at school and within the public about a video that played simultaneously on all devices for barely a minute; be it a television or a cell phone. Unfortunately for her, she missed it and she has yet to see it for herself. For a second she thought that his expression grew even darker. She watched as he placed a hand on his hip and pull his head down slightly. The girl decided to poke fun at him a little,"What? You're not going to stay there all night are you?"

"Not unless you invite me in."

"How could you say that so earnestly?" Haruna asked with clear disgust,"I really hope I never see you again, you bastard."

She closed the door on him in that moment; leaving him outside for good.

After a few moments, Saruhiko silently walked back to Scepter 4 in the darkness. "You remind me of **him**." He mulled to himself as he walked the empty streets,"Its making feel bitter all over again." He recalled her last words and looked back towards the apartment admitting,"It drives me over the edge."

* * *

When Haruna shut the door to her apartment she flipped the light on and leaned her back against onto it. She slid down slowly to a squat and sighed. Tomorrow will be another normal day. No kidnapping, no Scepter 4 or people in blue uniforms.

"I doubt we'll ever meet again, Saruhiko Sashimi."

She perked her head up with a sudden realization; her chocolate orbs looking out blankly towards her spacious home,

"I really **hate** sashimi."

* * *

**A/N: It took all the willpower I had to stop myself from writing overboard for the sake of future chapters. I did this on my iPhone AGAIN.  
**

**; u ;**

**Thank you to the Anon reviewers and to the following people:**

**Eruruu4**  
**Eryn Goddess of Chaos**  
**Plexi Pink**  
**SmileRen**  
**glittergurl22**  
**hakezukellyxxx22**  
**Inner Tear**  
**Akasuna-No-Tenshi**  
**hakezu**  
**kellyxxx22**  
**kenzou91**  
**mikotos  
**

**Will this be a Fushimi x OC story?**  
**_Fufufu-_**

**Also, for those of you who are wondering, sashimi is a term used for raw fish that's usually cut into thin pieces that you can typically eat in one bite.**

**See you guys next time. C:**


	5. It's A Deliveryー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak  
**

**Chapter 5 : It's A Deliveryー**

* * *

Haruna woke up very uncomfortably. She didn't wake up in her bed; in fact she was still dressed in her school uniform and slumped against the door. She took the bag beside her and brought it onto her lap; taking out a dark blue mobile device. She flipped it open and read the time.**  
**

"It's already time for school." She groaned,"Here we go."

The moment she stood up, she heard a small knock on the door. She shut her phone and slipped it back into the one of the pockets of her hand bag. Quickly, she fixed up her appearance and moved her hair over one shoulder before facing the door and standing up on her toes; placing her eye over the tiny glass peephole at the top of her door.

There was no one.

"What kind of prank is this?" Haruna sighed with annoyance. The girl started to remove her shoes when she heard another louder set of knocking. It seemed a bit frantic. "Its not a prank." A boy replied back. It seemed almost frantic. She looked through the glass hole again and still no one was there to see. "Okay. Really?" She hissed loudly with agitation, "If this is a delivery, you better say it now…!"

"I-It's a delivery." A different, deeper voice from an older man replied this time.

Haruna decided to play it safe and planned to let this 'delivery' come in without opening the door to these two strangers.

"Hm. Well then, please leave it at the door. I'll get to it later."

The boy's voice reached her ear again, "It requires a signature!"

Her suspicions piled up even more and she decided to ask one more question, "Say, which company do you guys work for? Shizume Express? *SPS?"

The girl heard an aggravated breath from the boy behind the door and a series of loud pounds began to strike the threshold.

Immediately, she turned her head to the door and for a second she believed she saw the closed entryway shake with each violent thump. The low voice addressed someone else desperately,"O-Oi, Yata-san! Please calm down! We planned on carrying this out without any-"

More shuffling was heard with a grunt of pain."Shut up, Fatty!" Yata-san shouted loudly, "Listen up," He addressed Haruna behind the door,"You really want to know what company we work for?

Quickly, she swiftly slipped her shoes back on and collected her bag. Don't tell me it's another pervert rapist. "I don't have the energy to deal with this now." The school girl flipped her phone open and checked the time,"I don't even have time for this either...!" She hissed.

"We're from HOMRA!"

Shit.

"So if you don't want this building to burn down," He threatened,"I suggest you open this god damn door."

"Why me," She complained out loud,"Of all people?!" She snapped her head around and shouted at the door,"Well, you can come back later, but the 'god damn door' will never open as long as you're around!"

"Eh? What was that now?" He asked,"So you want us to open it, huh?" The sound of cracking knuckles were heard,"That could be arranged! I'll count to five, okay?"

Was this guy deaf?! Haruna removed the spare ponytail around her wrist and tied her hair up as Yata-san began to count,

**"One-"**

She swung her bag over her shoulder.

**"Two-"**

And placed her hand over the doorknob.

**"Thr-"**

_Now._

Haruna turned the knob and slammed the door open with all her might. However, the only thing that the door collided with was the wall when it swung open as wide as it could go. She looked to her left and right, but no one was here. Suddenly, from behind the door, a heavy man emerged and gave a quick, hard punch to her stomach.

"Y-You stupid!I-Its a girl!" Yata-san ran over to the overweight man's side. Haruna weakly settled her eyes onto the shorter boy; even with her failing eyesight she could see his face beginning to burn up to the color of the red sweater that was tied around his waist. Clutching her stomach, she slowly sank to the ground; her knees giving up to the ground.

"Can you be any more stupid?!" He yelled,"Shit! She's already collapsed on the ground, fatty! Now look what you've done-" Fatty shook his head furiously and waved his hands out in front of him,"I-I didn't know! W-We didn't know...!" She watched the boy continue to chew out the other man. Soon, their forms were beginning to blur together and her amber eyes began to flutter close.

"You guys..." She breathed out painfully. In instant, they grew quiet and she felt their eyes fall on her through her closed eyelids as she continued to wheeze,

"I... can't believe-"

The schoolgirl drew in more painful breaths,

"Y-You have the nerve... to h-hit a **girl** like **that**...!"

And so for the second time already, she lost consciousness.

* * *

**A/N: Gosh, the things I'm making Haruna go through.**  
**What did 'Fatty' and 'Yata-san' even want from her?  
You'll probably find out next chapter.  
Why am I updating so fast?  
At my high school its thee wonderful week long Spring Break.  
Which means FREE TIME.**

**Wondering where 'Sashimi' is? He'll come back... Even if he doesn't like that idea. I'm such a cruel person. Hahaha.**

**Thank you again, for your reviews and follows/favorites. I hope I can continue with your interests intact. ;)**

**See you next time. c:  
**

***SPS: Shizume Postal Service**


	6. An Introduction to Redー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak  
**

**Chapter 6 : An Introduction to Redー**

* * *

Pale eyelids fluttered open revealing a pair of hazel colored eyes. The first thing Haruna observed was a wood ceiling with square designs and a window with purple drawn curtains letting in the sunlight. She made an attempt to remove herself from the coach she laid on, but she retired back with a throbbing pain that struck her abdomen. Wincing, she clutched her stomach and heaved in a heavy breath.**  
**

That fatty had no mercy whatsoever.

Her eyes scanned the building weakly. She was alone as far as she can tell. Her eyes followed the racks of unattended alcohol behind a bar. She had never one quite like this one before. It seemed a little 'foreign' to her. Not like she's ever been to one, but whenever she walked through town late at night she would curiously peek through bar windows as she passed by. The eighteen year old would study the faces of seated customers, who were usually men, as they chugged down a glass of beer and slam it back down onto the table with goofy grins. The Ashinaka attendee admitted that she considered drinking once or twice out of curiosity, but she always reminded herself at the right moment that she had to wait another three years.

The overall feel of this bar didn't seem like it housed visitors like the countless men she's seen, but then again... a bar is... Well, a bar.

It just had that 'home' kind of feel.

Abruptly, a door chime interrupting her thoughts and Haruna heard someone's shoes lightly tap onto the floor accompanied by the rustling of plastic bags.

"Ah." A man's voice met her ears,"You've came to? How are you feeling? You've been out for a good three hours."

"What ever happened to fatty and Yata-san?" She turned her attention away from the selection of beers and wines and asked the tall, blonde man with a pair of shades.

He gave an nervous, awkward laugh and scratched his head with the hand free of the cluster of plastic bags,"It sounds like you're doing better." As if he had only realized what she had just said, the man asked with surprise as he tipped his head down and looked out to the girl with wide, brown orbs,"You know Yata-chan?!" He closed his eyes and smiled to himself,"Why didn't he tell us that he was acquainted with such you? A pretty girl."

"N-No, not technically," She pretended not to hear his last mumblings to himself and stuttered,"Him and some other guy actually... Uh..." The girl swallowed and grinned at him nervously,

"Assaulted me?"

The slam of the plastic bags hitting the bar's surface made her jump from her seat. Immediately, he remove his shades and hooked it to one of his pant's pockets. He gave a growl of irritation and quickly opened the door leading outside; poking his head out and asking someone with forced politeness,"Yata-chan. Please come inside right now." Even from the other side of the room, he could hear the boy's grumbles and protests from outside the door,"S-Shit... The jig is up- Kusanagi-san...!"

"Damn it, I said you better come inside this instant!" He went through the door and physically dragged him by the collar. The boy attempted to resist, but he kept a firm grip. Kusanagi threw him over to Haruna who blinked up at him in confusion.

"You told me that you found her lying like this at her apartment! I don't even want to ask you what really happened. Apologize right now."

"I-I didn't think it was a girl! H-Honestly...! Kamamoto-"

"Who was the one who **brashly** decided to go off on their own and allow **this**,"He gestured to her with his free hand,"To happen? I said that this **girl** might have information, but you go off running without even thinking. I'll have a talk with Kamamoto later." Kusanagi loosened his grip on Yata's collar and pinched his nose,"So you better apologize. It's a mature thing to do."

Sulking, Yata-san averted his gaze from her,"O-Okay." He ended up apologizing to a far wall,"I'm sorry."

"Look at her in the eye." The blonde demanded.

Hesitantly, he slowly turned his head to Haruna with a light red that began to dust his cheeks. He bowed down and pulled his beanie down over his eyes,"I-I'm sorry."

"Good enough." The man huffed. Nervously, her eyes flitted back and forth from Kusanagi to the bowing boy. He gave her a tender smile which she returned before addressing Yata,"I-It's fine...!" She accepted his apology with equal awkwardness. "Yata-san?" She called out to him,"Could I ask you something?" She asked sweetly.

Yata sprung up instantly to meet Kusanagi's expecting stare and looked back at the smiling girl blubbering,"I...U-Uh, sure." His eyes continued to flit back and forth from her face to the wood floor; his flushed cheeks burning an even brighter hue. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she stood up from the couch, still clutching her stomach; but she knew this would be worth it. She brought him into a tight headlock and sat back down onto the couch.

"O-Oi...! W-What the hell are you doing?!" He started to flail his arms around aimlessly.

"No, Yata-san." She felt him tap her arm as she tightened the hold that encircled him around his neck,"The question is: What the hell are you doing?!" The student council member heard him give out a loud sign of confusion,"Hah?!" She continued,"Don't screw with me! Delivery my ass! And are you hard of hearing?! You didn't think I was a girl?! If you really, **really** wanted to kick my ass, you should've said it straight out-because I would've greeted you with a fist without hesitation- and HOMRA?! Come on! You still look like you're in middle school. You're too young to be playing punks and gang-"

Her arm was shoved away briskly with brute force and Yata-san removed himself from her arms; glaring at her with an expression filled with both hurt and anger,"You...! It's not punks and gangsters! HOMRA is...!"

Kusanagi placed a hand on Yata's shoulder and told him gently,"Yata-chan, could you help out Kamamoto for me? He should be over at the nearest convenience store. I asked him to get a couple things, but he might need some help carrying it back."

"Kusanagi-san, I-"

"Yata-chan. I'd greatly appreciate it if you went. We also have a young lady to tend to if you haven't forgotten."

Wordlessly, he snatched the skateboard that leaned against the bar. He threw it to the ground giving an audible _clack _that echoed throughout room. The boy gave her one last grim look before skating out; leaving the door wide open. She still caught a glimpse of the bright crimson that colored his face like a tomato. She was probably just imagining things out of tiredness, but she thought she saw red sparks fly out of the skateboard wheels as they turned.

Kusanagi placed the shades back over his eyes and ruffled his hair,"How many times have I told him not to skate inside the bar?" He sighed to himself,"Please don't mind him, he doesn't really think about the consequences before jumping into... Trouble."

"I don't mind at all. He just caused me the absence that will surely have me fail my morning class. No big deal."

"Your sarcasm is appalling, young lady." He laughed,"What's your name?"

"Haruna Aigasa."

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Aigasa-chan." He introduced himself,"Izumo Kusanagi, the owner of the bar."

"Kusanagi-san," She stared at the bar stools at her far left,"I've never seen one quite like this before. It's a bit impressive." Izumo placed his hands on his hips and looked to the ceiling,"You think? This was actually imported from England." He said proudly,"Cost me a fortune."

"Sounds like you say that all the time."

"Of course. It's been my baby for eight years already."

"This is a big baby you have here." She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. "That boy wasn't really from HOMRA, right?" Haruna opened an eyelid and stared back at the blonde man who started rummaging through the plastic bags.

"Huh? Oh, you mean Yata-chan?" He lifted his head as if he was thinking,"Believe it or not, he's actually our vanguard."

You got to be kidding me.

"Your... vanguard?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing,"When you mean 'our', do you mean..." She thought the middle schooler's claims of being a part of HOMRA were jokes. "You don't actually mean HOMRA, _HOMRA_?" She was was expecting ruffians wielding guns and knives with women under each arm. "You probably thought of us as armed pimps, huh? It's not a surprising thought though." He chuckled,"After all, we fight in more... Unorthodox methods compared to clans like Scepter 4." Haruna remembered the swords positioned at the hip of each person's blue uniform; inviting shivers that ran through her spine.

"What is HOMRA and Scepter 4?" The curious student asked as she untied her hair and placed it over a shoulder. She had asked Saruhiko the same question, but the girl hoped that she would receive a more thorough answer from the man in front of her. Izumo brought out a small, metal lighter and played with it in between his fingers,"Are you familiar with the clans here in Shizume City, Aigasa-chan?" She shook her head and clasped her hands together in her lap. "I know very little."

"Like?"

She was silent for a moment before admitting to him,"Actually, nothing."

"Would you like to see what we can do?" He asked, flipping his lighter open,"Would you like to see the reason why so many people fear us?"

She watched the lighter as it emitted a tiny flame. Her gaze moved over to the smile that Izumo had produced and back to the small lighter. She watched curiously as the flame flickered a bit; wavering back and forth. Her eyes widened as she watched the tiny fire grow bigger and bigger into a fireball that he transferred to his pointer finger.

"H-Hey. That's dangerous..." She spoke up nervously, but when she realized it didn't scorch him, she was clearly mesmerized. The unwavering smile remained. Neither did he show any sign of pain. "How are you doing this...?" She whispered softly,"So the rumors are true."

"You don't seem as surprised as I expected." He admitted to her,"There's actually seven kings with seven different auras." Izumo described it to her,"Each king is capable of bestowing the powers they have to other people; who become their clansmen. HOMRA is made up of clansmen with the red aura. Scepter 4 is a clan with the blue aura under their king, Reisi Munakata." He closed the lighter shut and lit a smoke with the fire that burned at the tip of his finger. He closed his hand into a fist, dispelling the flame along with Haruna's trance,"Who I'm sure that you've already met."

"I am a vassal; with Yata-chan and Kamamoto along with with many more under the third king, our king, Mikoto Suoh."

As he placed the cigarette between his lips, she swore she saw tiny fireballs flying out slowly and disappear into the floor without a trace, but it could've been the falling ashes from the tip. He pointed to her stomach and inhaled before letting out a cloud of smoke,"Does it still hurt?" She gave a silent nod. Izumo went back to the plastic bags and brought out several packets of ice. He threw it to her from the bar and she barely caught them with a few fumbles. She gave a nod of appreciation and clutched it to her body.

Her deep curiosity of Scepter 4 and HOMRA was growing dangerously. She wondered if the stupid fish was bestowed with the blue aura as he was a part of that 'police force that deals with certain affairs'. A certain question popped up into her mind regarding yesterday's happenings,"How did you know I had contact with Scepter 4?" She asked,"I'm assuming you guys don't like them very much. You don't spy on them, do you?"

He waved his hands in front him and protested,"I get my information from other clansmen, I don't do anything beyond that. Both Scepter 4 and HOMRA- I think that we're after the same things. The motives aren't the same, but..." He trailed off. Haruna stared out into space and responded with a low hum,"So you're the 'intel guy'." A man with this kind considerate demeanor didn't suit being in the 'front lines'.

"I'm just as capable when I'm fighting too, just so you know. And Aigasa-chan?"

Haruna shifted her attention over to Izumo who seemed entertained,

"I just want to clear up something with you before you get another wrong idea. Yata-chan is a good kid. He acts tough, but in reality he's a bit sensitive; especially when it comes to our, you know, affiliation."

Izumo removed the cigarette from his lips and blew out another cloud of smoke,

"He's nineteen."

The whole building immediately rang out with a nervous fit of giggles,"H-Haha! Kusanagi-san, please. Stop it!" Her shaky laughter trailed off a bit and she stared at him with overwhelming intensity; it was as if she was piercing his eyeballs through his pair of shades. "He's my height and he looks super scrawny-" She grabbed her hair at the roots and shut her eyes closed,"Ah! I thought he was in middle school! Oh no, this is embarrassing!"

"Kusanagi-san, what do I do?!" She let go of her hair and balled them into fists in her lap,"What do I do?! I was so rude to him! Oh God, he's older than me...! What do I do?! Wait. Why should I even care? He threatened to burn my apartment down! That bastard-"

The bartender simply laughed at her.

* * *

**Scepter 4, Main Control Room**

* * *

"Yes. This is Fushimi." His eyes lit up as he listened to the other line,"Yes. I see. The apartment? Alright."

As soon as the young man ended the call, an unusual smile grazed his lips.

"What have you gotten yourself into now," He chuckled to himself,

"_Mi-sa-ki_?"

* * *

**A/N: Haruna has finally seen the red aura in her own eyes and received a tiny crash course on auras and clans.  
I'm really hoping I didn't screw up Kusanagi's character and made him OOC.  
That would be utterly devastating.  
**

**Guest: Thank you! I'm so very glad that spring break is here. it's too bad that yours had ended though! D;  
Thank you again for your review! :)  
**

**Eruyuu4 and M0no: Yup, chapter 1 and 5 was short. I wanted to separate Saruhiko's and Haruna's point of views so I placed them into separate chapters, 1 and 2. But the time has come for bigger chapters! Huzzah! I attempted to make this even longer than I intended for you guys! Thank you for your reviews! ;)  
**

**SmileRen, Eryn Goddess of Chaos and RheishaM: I'm on the same boat. I'm very disappointed in Yata as well. I made him verbally abuse Haruna. ; u ; *cries* He didn't know it was girl?! How could he not after all those exchanges behind the door?! Geez... At least I made Kamamoto the one who punched her... E-Ehehehehe... Haaa...  
**

**tohru15: Merci!  
Je ne parle pas très bien le Français.  
*falls to the ground and cries* I confess to partially using an online translator and dictionary.  
But I'm very glad that you're enjoying it so far.  
Misaki is quite the man when it comes to women, h-haha.  
I hope I can continue with your interests intact as well. :)**

**Cheshire neko chan: Thank you for your review! I hope you liked it!**

**See you guys again later this week. C:**


	7. Ruby and Sapphire Hostilityー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak  
**

**Chapter 7 : Ruby and Sapphire Hostilityー**

* * *

"Punks and gangsters?" Yata held his beanie in place as he increased his acceleration. He narrowed his eyes and grunted,"What does she know anyway?" Despite his anger, he was growing increasingly guilty about the things he said to her before Kamamoto had knocked her out cold. He cursed to himself; for once in his nineteen year old life he wondered why he had rode out blindly like an idiot without hearing the rest of what Kusanagi-san had to tell him.**  
**

He remembered that he didn't close the door to the girl's room before heading back to Bar HOMRA. "Some good civilian probably closed it for her." He mumbled to himself. However, the thought of one person who happened to have the intent of taking advantage of the open door made him increasingly irritated. Hotheadedly, he changed his course and rode back to the apartment.

**"Damn it!"**

* * *

Saruhiko made it to that apartment several blocks away from his clan's base of operations. There had been several reports of a verbal ruckus that seemed to have escalated to physical violence and a sighting of two HOMRA members. This building was one of many along the block that housed civilians of Shizume City. A handful of his subordinates were housed in this area because they were too paranoid about the rumored 'surveillance cameras' within the Scepter 4 dorms. His own request of moving out of the dorm was still pending.

He walked up the stairs of the first apartment on the block and realized something. He accompanied that schoolgirl from yesterday to this same apartment. As soon as he climbed the steps to the second floor, he saw it. The scorch marks leading from Room 18 to the painted sky blue side railings. The door was open and he decided to check it out in the inside. A familiar sound of skateboard wheels reached his ears. The maniacal grin that was formed on his face moments before he left headquarters reappeared once more.

* * *

Haruna held a mug of freshly brewed coffee in her lap as she waited for it to cool down.

"You put a lot of sugar and cream in there. I don't serve coffee often, but you used a lot of what I have." Kusanagi raised a brow at her,"You're not the type to go 'bonkers' with an extra dose of caffeine and sweets, are you?"

She looked at the pile of ripped, open individual sugar packets and the jug of vanilla creamer on the table in front of her before laughing nervously at the bartender,"No, not that I know of." She stirred the drink even more to ensure that everything dissolved properly.

Kusanagi's cell phone that he placed on the bar's surface went off; buzzing violently on the wood surface as it began to slowly move to the very edge. Before it could fall, he quickly snatched it and placed the device to his ear,"Yata-chan?"

Haruna's attention shifted to the blonde who started gesticulating with his hands,"Could you say that slower, please? No. Much slower. I thought I told you to- Yata-chan, calm down. Haruna Aigasa?" She perked up with the sound of her name. "There's no harm to it. We'll comply. Don't do anything idiotic."

His hands fell at his sides and he addressed Haruna who started blowing the swirling surface of her beverage,"It seems like our time is up with you, Aigasa-chan."

"Huh?" She placed the mug onto the table and asked him,"What do you mean? What did Yata-san say?"

Kusanagi crushed his cigarette on an ashtray and slipped on his coat. Another smile had grazed his lips,"Scepter 4 wants you back. The commotion that they made back at your place wasn't unnoticed, since you live fairly close to their headquarters." Haruna stood up as he motioned towards the door,"But before we give you back, I'd like to ask you the question we've been meaning to ask."

_"I'll ask you again, Aigasa-san."_

Gee. This is beginning to sound awfully familiar.

"I want you to see this video first."

* * *

"Shut your trap, you damn monkey. I'm going to beat your face in."

"Ah. How unpleasant. Really. Where is Haruna Aigasa?"

"Away from you blues." Yata sneered as he tightened the grip he had on the edge his skateboard,"She's probably sick and tired of the bullshit you keep pulling her into."

"I only drugged her, but why do you care, Misaki?" The blue clansman shrugged,"You thought she was your chance to get laid? Don't get optimistic now; women always come and go at the last second, so there's always a next time." He leered at Yata,"However, I don't think even you're capable of holding one for that long, you _virgin_."

"I'm getting real tired of your shit, too. I just wanted to close a god damn door." The flushing vanguard grumbled as he threw his ride on the ground in front of him,"I-I'll kill you!"

"Fushimi! Ready!" His ex-best friend drew his sword,"Come at me then, Mi-sa-ki!"

"Don't you fucking call me by that name!" Yata charged at full speed with his skateboard and threw a fist into his face; disregarding a vase he had punched instead off of its end table. Saruhiko made a side step; barely evading his swing. He laughed giddily as he continued to blocked his crimson coated punches with azure sparks and knocking off the many pieces of decor and furniture from the walls and floor.

"What was that? Where are you aiming?" He taunted him,"Misaki?!" The blue thrust his sword towards the shorter man, which he blocked with skateboard.

"And what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Yata hurled back,"Thinking you could scratch me with such a weak attack?"

"No, I didn't think so." He admitted as he slowly unsheathed three daggers from his sleeve, coated with a red aura between the fingers of his other hand,"But try this." Saruhiko flung it to the vanguard who was able to evade the first two successfully; allowing them to sink into the whitewashed walls behind him.

* * *

Haruna watched the all out brawl in her apartment's living room. Sashimi threw several daggers at Yata with a red aura. A **red** aura. How could he be a part of Scepter 4 and have two auras? She turned to Kusanagi, hoping that she could have a clear answer, but the brooding air that he started to emit stopped her from doing so.

"Yata-chan. I thought I told you not to do anything idiotic!"

Distracted, he turned back and averted his attention to Kusanagi,"Kusanagi-san?! I just need to beat his face into the ground real quick."

Growing annoyed by the sudden interference, Saruhiko cursed,"Damn it, Misaki! **Don't ignore me!**" Haruna had no idea he could put on such an absorbed, crazed face. Catching Yata's attention at the last second, he attempted to evade the last knife, but ultimately failed when he felt the sharpened metal puncture his arm. Yata tumbled off his skateboard and to the ground rolling. Saruhiko advanced towards the vulnerable vanguard with his saber coated in a blue aura. Before he could get any closer, Kusanagi sent out a red wave of flame between them and Haruna took this chance to run to Yata.

She shook him slightly and prepared to bandage his arm with the cloth from her arm. He opened and his eyes; blinking blankly for a minute before yelling at her,"O-Oi! What are you doing?! Stay out of this!"

Haruna removed the knife from his skin; earning a grunt of pain in return,"Shut up! You're ruining my living space! You can't fight in a place like this as long as I'm around!"

Saruhiko stepped closer and closer to the fallen boy and Haruna who crouched next to him as she tied the dark cloth around his arm until he towered above her,

"Move."

"No." She refused.

"Then come back with me."

"I won't do that either." She refused him again,"I was completely fine until Scepter 4 overreacted and your stupid face showed up."

"Ha-ru-na." Sickeningly, he let her name roll of his tongue in syllables,"You wound me. A normal civilian such as yourself should just accept your role and not affiliate yourself with _thugs_."

"The deeper the wound the better." The girl replied irritably as she finished tying up the cloth on Yata's arm.

"Misaki, you have guts to abduct such a _brutish _woman. So fitting for someone such as yourself." He grabbed the collar of her uniform from behind and started to drag her away,"Oh, but wait- she's in her last year of high school and you're just a middle school dropout. You're too stupid for her standards!"

"Don't decide things for me!" Haruna exclaimed as she tried to scramble away.

"Ah? So he's not too stupid for you?"

"Damn you, Saru! I-It's not like that at all!" Yata hissed as he threw the knife Haruna removed from his injured arm; which he soon regretted when it started flying towards her face,"Hey! Watch out!"

She heard Kusanagi-san called out to her,"Aigasa-chan!"

Haruna turned back to Yata and Kusanagi with the dagger flying towards her.

Reflexively, she placed her hands out in front of her and closed her eyes shut; waiting for it to puncture her. She felt Fushimi yanking her backward and she perceived the sound of metal clashing together, tearing cloth and caught a stronger scent of blood. Haruna also heard a grunt and another familiar click of a tongue following after. She opened her eyes to the back of the blue clansman facing her. He returned his saber back into into its scabbard. His other hand reached out to touch the cut on his right cheek.

"Fushimi-kun...!"

Did he just try to deflect it? She reached out to touch his shoulder, but he briskly swatted her hand away.

"It's nothing." He stated flatly,"Don't come any closer." Sashimi turned his head back towards the two HOMRA affiliates and addressed them,"We'll leave this off here, Misaki. Unlike your group of delinquents, I have an actual job to do. I suggest you leave if you've got nothing better to do." Saruhiko eyed the schoolgirl expectantly,"Haruna. "

"Killing you already sounds like something better to do!" Yata took up his skateboard again and prepared to charge once more before Kusanagi held him up by the collar. "Yata-chan, we're in the blues' territory right now. One wrong move and we'll let _King_ down.

She looked to Kusanagi who fanned a hand at her, gesturing her to make the right decision,

"I'll go with you."

Even with the fair amount of distance they had from each other, Haruna heard the words 'shitty monkey' from Yata's mouth before he turned away with Kusanagi. The bartender waved a hand which Haruna returned sadly. She continued to wave at the edge of the railing until they were out of sight.

"Ah... What am I going to do with this trashed place now. At least the bedroom is intact."

Placing her hand back at her side, she addressed the clearly irritated man beside her who was refusing to make eye contact with her and rubbing his pectoral muscle with his thumb.

"Sashimi."

No reply.

"You're a real asshole, you know that?"

"Says the one who always gets herself abducted."

"I don't want to be hearing that from you of all people. You know what? It's not my fault that God _blessed_ me with this scrawny, typical shoujo heroine body that always needs her ass saved by her 'knight and shining armor'." She sulked,"It's not like I actually needed saving from HOMRA."

"You? A shoujo heroine?" He stifled a chuckle and stopped in his tracks,"More or less, it's your own fault that you're like **this**." He turned around and firmly grasped her chin; seductively breathing into her ear; his whisper sending shivers down her spine,"I suppose I'm your 'knight in shining armor'?"

Haruna attempted to pull away from his tight grasp,"Don't... Put words in my mouth!"

"You really remind me of him, Haruna. It makes me noxious." He remarked darkly,"It's stupid, 'knights in shining armors' don't exist."

She disregarded his first comment and slapped him away from her,"Don't call me by that name." She managed to pull away from him,"I'm glad I make you sick- Munakata will probably realize how much of a tripped out bastard you are and fire you."

Her golden eyes transitioned to a sort of chocolate color as she tilted her head down stammering,"A-Anyway. H-How's your wound?"

The bluenette lifted a brow and asked her with a voice filled with amusement,"You call me an asshole and say awfully degrading things to me before asking me how I'm doing?" He shrugged his shoulders,"If you weren't so weak and useless, things wouldn't have ended this way."

Haruna stopped in her tracks; the charcoal ends of her uncurled hair stood up as she cried out furiously,"I'm going to **cut** you _up_ like sashimi...!" Saruhiko stifled a chuckle as he felt an air of anger surge up from behind him.

"Na, Haruna. Won't you bandage my wound like you did for Misaki?"

"Go to hell, you stupid fish."

* * *

As Kusanagi and Yata walked back to Bar HOMRA, the bartender had berated the boy for the idiotic behavior that he had displayed. After he had calmed down, the nineteen year old placed his hands behind his neck and asked his superior,"Did you ever pop the question to Haruna?"

The man placed his hands in his pockets and answered him simply,"Yes."

"You don't sound too happy, Kusanagi-san." Yata pointed out as he turned his head for a more specific reply.

"Aigasa-chan admitted that she's never made contact with **him** once." He prepared to light up another cigarette and added,"She's also unsure whether or not he attends Ashinaka, since they may be different years."

They gave out a simultaneous sigh of disappointment. Yata noticed a smirk forming on his face as he lit his smoke with a snap of his fingers,"What's so funny?"

"You referred to Aigasa-chan by her first name." He chuckled,"You should feel accomplished considering-"

"WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, STOP RIGHT THERE." The vanguard flushed up with anger and embarrassment as he grumbled to himself,"S-She's too stubborn! T-Too hard-headed to be a _g-gi-g-girl_!"

"Reminds me of our little vanguard-"

"KUSANAGI-SAN!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the convenience store...**

* * *

A man with a white zip up hoodie and sweats held a large cluster of plastic bags in each hand with several more laying at his sneakers.

Kamamoto wailed and tilted his head up to the cloudy sky,

"Yata-san! Please come soon...!"

* * *

**A/N: ****Thank you for your follows Sleepyface, FreeHugs0009 and Tearful Reunion!**

**Anyway, while I've been trying to get inspiration, I was listening to the K drama CDs. And when it got to 'Scepter 4's Year-End Party for Two', I could not stop laughing. I was so torn between feeling bad for Munakata and laughing at him.**

**I ended up laughing at him (I'm so sorry, Munakata).**

**See you next time. C:  
**


	8. Proposal from the Blue Kingー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak  
**

**Chapter 8 : Proposal from the Blue Kingー**

* * *

When the stupid fish left her trashed up home, she took refuge in her bedroom; one of the two other rooms (the kitchen and the bathroom) of her apartment that were unaffected by what ensued. Haruna fell onto her queen sized bed in exhaustion. She waited expectantly for the phone next to her dresser to go off. Just like she had predicted, it rang several times before her answering machine played her message,

"Hello. You've reached the Aigasa residence. I'm sorry, but no one is able to answer your call right now. Please leave a message and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can."

_Beep._

A woman's voice from the school's attendance office spoke,"Hello, this is a message for Haruna Aigasa, third year of Ashinaka Gakuen. We are to inform you that the amount of absences you have for semester has gone over its limit and we have recorded an automatic failure in your current classes. Please consult the attendance office for further details if you have any questions. Thank you. Goodbye."

Could life get any more worse? She covered her eyes with her elbows and sighed,"I only came to school mainly for student council, anyway."

The mechanical voice from her answering machine spoke up again,"You have one new message. Would you like me to play it?"

"Yes, please."

_Beep_

At her reply, the new message played within her bedroom with a voice from a man that she had been recently acquainted with,"Haruna Aigasa-kun. This is Reisi Munakata of Scepter 4. I understand that you are drained from the incidents that occurred this morning, but I have a proposal that I'd like to address to you. I'd like you to drop by my office today if you are available. If not, I hope to see you later this week if possible."

_Beep_

Her answering machine ended the message and concluded,"No new messages."

_Beep_

Every single damn time she's asked her phone to quit the beeping, it would understand, but continue to do it. She had about given up her attempts to make it stop without throwing it across the room and had learned to ignore it. The nineteen year old didn't want to buy another home phone with the money that her parents sent her monthly for her living expenses. She didn't feel bad about failing her classes either. Honestly, she only went for extra-curricular. Whenever she did come to class, her peers would wonder who the new student was or ignore her completely. Haruna's parents had hoped that by sending her to live in Shizume City and attend Ashinaka Gakuen, she would learn to become independent.

Haruna admitted that their plan had worked. She was learning how to get by without her parent's guidance and she made her own decisions. Her stellar grades that she kept throughout her middle school, first and second year of high school had plummeted. She... was growing lazy. The third year was capable of handling the current classes that she had been officially marked as 'failed' on her transcript because of the absence policy. Two university sciences; one chemistry and astronomy classes and one advanced calculus course.

She removed herself from her bed and made her way to the wooden dresser at the other side of the room. She opened the top drawer and took out a white knitted sweater with a matching camisole. In the second drawer, she drew out a dark pair of leggings and an extra pair of wool socks of the same color. Haruna removed her school garments and slipped on the warmer, new pair of clothes. She retrieved a tan scarf that hung on the one of the hooks on her door along with a small, black leather purse and wore them accordingly. She opened the door to her mutilated living room and skillfully made her way around the broken, toppled items on the wood floor to her the door leading to the outside world.

She retrieved a long, black pea coat that hung on a hook next to the door and slipped on a pair of black leather boots with a tiny heel. Her amber eyes turned to look at her mutilated home one last time before opening the door with her room key and stepping out.

* * *

Once she reached the gates of Scepter 4's headquarters, a man with orange hair clad in their uniform approached her.

"Who are you and what business do you have here?"

"I'm Haruna Aigasa. Your captain, Reisi Munakata called me here for an appointment with him." She held up her school ID to the man who eyed it suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, but this is not enough proof. Do you have a message recording his request?" He returned the card to her and she placed it back it back into her bag.

"N-No," She replied nervously. She had nothing to hide, but the professional air he seemed to put up front seemed a bit menacing to her. "It's on my home phone. I could rerecord it onto my PDA if you really need it."

"Domyoji-kun." A female voice came from behind the male officer,"I should be more than enough proof. The captain has been expecting her."

Domyoji immediately spun around on his heel and faced the woman,"Lieutenant...!"

"Aigasa-kun, please come this way."

"Yes, ma'am." She ran passed the officer in attention and came to a walk as she followed behind her. Once inside, the woman led her through a room full of large television and computer monitors and into a hall that stretched to a single door at the very end. She followed the lieutenant into the room and at the very left she recognized that this was indeed the Captain's room that she was brought into two days before.

She saw Munakata piecing together another puzzle on his table and greeted her,"Please have a seat." Haruna's heels made tiny clicks on the floor as she made her way over to the chair and plopped herself down into it.

"How are you doing with school?" He asked without lifting his eyes from the jigsaw pieces.

"It's been great." She mumbled and admitted with the same exact words from the message,"I officially failed all my classes because of my absences."

"And why do you have so many absences, Aigasa-kun?"

Haruna gave him a puzzled look,"Did you invite me here for the sole purpose of asking me about how my school experience was?"

The captain looked up and smiled,"No, of course not."

"Could you get to the point, please?"

"I apologize. I simply wanted you to feel comfortable here with small talk. I had no idea you were someone who liked to cut to the chase."

"There's a flip side to everything, blue king."

"Indeed." Munakata agreed as he pushed his glasses up with a finger,"Since you know know who I am, I will get to the point then." He switched his attention from his puzzle to the girl's face,"You are a bright, young lady. I'm curious, do you have any future plans?"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, sir." She sighed and began to twirl the ends of her hair,"In any case, the answer to your question is 'nothing in particular'. I don't understand why it would be relevant to you if I had any." She closed her eyes and listened to him hum with recognition.

The same words he left on her home phone came back to her,"I have a proposal for you."

With her eyes still shut, she asked him expectantly,"What is it?"

"Join Scepter 4."

* * *

**A/N: What is her answer? **

**Find out next time.  
I wrote this chapter pretty hastily... on my iPhone.  
**

**Thank you Saki0112, Maya095, rainrain02 and Suzune Lina for your favorites and follows.  
SmileRen: I enjoy your predictions very much! Thank you for your review! ;)  
**

**See you guys next time. C:**


	9. Just A Thoughtー

**強い人と弱い人****  
The Strong and The Weak**

**Chapter 9 : Just a Thoughtー**

* * *

"I'll consider it."

He added as if he was attempting to persuade her,"All the damages at the apartment will be paid off for you. You'd live in our dorms and you would receive a monthly paycheck. It's a job that requires passing a written examination, but with your wit and current intel, I believe that you won't have any trouble with it."

"I appreciate it, captain." She thanked him genuinely,"But, I don't think I'm ready to commit to something like... a job."

With her last statement, a pregnant silence filled the room. The air grew a bit uncomfortable and she swallowed before adding nervously,"I'm a very lazy person."

"I contacted your teachers at Ashinaka and they say you're different when you're obligated to do something."

"My... teachers?" She whispered to herself before addressing him with suspicion,"What makes you think I'd be obligated to Scepter 4 if I joined?"

"You were a part of the student council, were you not? Scepter 4 is no different when it comes to handling paper work and negotiating."

"Creep." She said under her breath.

"What was that, Aigasa-kun?"

"Nothing at all, sir." She lied as she stood up from her seat,"Was this a one time offer?"

"No, it wasn't. Although, I was disappointed with the answer you gave me today." He stood up and extended his hand to the girl who took it with a smile,"You're young, so take your time to really consider what you want to do."

She studied his face which lacked so much emotion and laughed,"Munakata, my god, you don't actually think that do you?" She laughed even harder with the inquisitive look he started to give her,"You're probably wondering how unbelievable I am to actually think about an offer that could've turned my life at this very moment."

"No, Aigasa-kun." He lifted his head from their handshake and flashed her a knowing smile that made her breath hitch,"I think that's just you."

Before she could deny it, there was a knock on the door and Awashima who stayed close to the door spoke out to the visitor,"Come in."

The door opened revealing another blue clansmen with hair like seaweed,"Sir, the Red King's aura seems to be intensifying within his cell."

"The Red King?" She breathed out with surprise.

"I see. I'll be there in a moment, Akiyama-kun." She looked to Munakata who started to leave his desk. Reflexively, she reached out for his sleeve and caught his attention.

"What happened to the Red King?" Her head hung down refusing to meet his eyes and her voice cracked with unintended desperateness. Why did her voice come out so despondent? She's never met the man. Was it because of HOMRA? The thought was pushed out of her mind when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose that to you either, Aigasa-kun." He said before walking away and tearing from her grasp,"I hope to hear a more pleasing answer sometime. Awashima-kun."

His lieutenant nodded to her captain who had just left the room before approaching Haruna. She couldn't help but stare at the woman. The vice captain had a beautiful face and a very curvaceous figure. She wondered if all the men gazed at her longingly. She shook her head in shame.

"Aigasa-kun, I'll lead you out of the building."

* * *

Her right hand grasped the leather strap of her bag tightly as she followed the woman again. She could see her skirt riding up behind her legs as she walked and it made her feel uneasy. The male uniform looks much loose than what she's wearing. Does she not feel uncomfortable or conscious about how everything is more _accentuated_? Her thoughts wondered back to the lieutenant's uniform. She couldn't get it out of her head. Before she knew it, she began to splutter out as soon as they reached the exit outside,"D-Do all the women in Scepter 4 dress like you, A-Awashima-san?"

Awashima turned around and met the girl's flustered face,"Yes. We do, however there are some who prefer several acceptable variations of the uniform."

"Is the skirt you're wearing also a variation?"

"It's a mini dress, but yes it is. Since I am the captain's 'right hand man', I'm dressed much more formal than the rest of the other women. I believe it's more appropriate."

Haruna looked up at her with wide eyes at her last comment,

"How is that appropriate?" She couldn't hold it in anymore,"How could the captain allow this?!" She gasped and looked up into the cloudy sky as if she had a sudden revelation,"That's it! Munakata is a hentai!"

"Aigasa-kun-"

The girl grasped the strap of her bag even tighter and buried herself into her scarf,"AWASHIMA-SAN. YOU MUSTN'T FULFILL CAPTAIN MUNAKATA'S DESIRES. YOU NEED- NO. YOU HAVE TO WEAR A LONGER SKIRT."

The chilly air was filled with another silence comparable to the one back in the office and Haruna swore she heard the birds chirping and the cicadas. Wait. Cicadas only come during the summer. Ah. What the hell.

The lieutenant held a fist to herself as she cleared her throat with a light blush on her cheek,"Aigasa-kun. I appreciate your suggestion, but I find this the most comfortable amongst my uniform attire within my wardro-"

"That's some wardrobe."

Before another wave of awkward silence came about, Awashima stepped to the side and beckoned her,"Please make your way back home safely. The sidewalk will be icy." She added,"And if you become a part of Scepter 4, maybe you can be the one to make the reforms in our dress codes."

"Are you saying it can only happen if I join?"

Awashima gave her a puzzled look,"I never said anything like that. But if the captain had wished you to join, I would recommend that you really think this over."

"That I will do." She thanked the higher ranked officer,"I appreciate it, Awashima-san. Have a good evening and wear a longer skirt."

* * *

Before going back to her ruined abode, she decided to head to the convenience store for an instant dinner that she could prepare with one of the kitchen appliances that survived Yata's and Sashimi's fight. As she walked closer to and closer to her destination, a large outline of a familiar figure stood out at the store front with an overwhelming number of bags. As she drew even closer, there were about four plastic bags filled with an assortment of vegetables and four others; two on each arm with alcoholic beverages and ice packets.

"Kamamoto-san?"

The hooded man lifted up his head and looked at her through his pair of shades,"Do I know you, pretty lady?"

Okay. Really?

She decided to put on a humorous front,"Ah...! I was so sure you'd remember me, Kamamoto-san!" She shrugged her shoulders and lifted her hands into the air,"The wind was really knocked out of me! My stomach still needs to iced... I can't believe you'd hit a girl like that."

Even through his shades, Haruna watched his expression turn from confusion to mortification.

"A-Aigasa-chan!" He waved his arms out in front of him and frantically apologized,"I'm sorry! My deepest apologies! You gotta forgive me!" She watched him roughly set the bags down to the floor and started bending down to the ground. Before she realized the joke was going too far and she tried to stop him, he continued on humiliatingly,"My utmost apologize!"

Haruna looked at the streams of late afternoon shoppers who slowed down to observe a bowing man who looked like a Yakuza rookie ready to be scolded. She listened nervously to the susurration of the growing crowd.

"Kamamoto-san." She was feeling more embarrassed and softly addressed him,"Please get up, I was only kidding." Her hand began to sweat and she felt her eye twitch as she started to plead to him,

"Please?"

He didn't move an inch.

She pinched her nose and decided to take action. Haruna drew closer to the man and lightly kicked the top of his head with the tip of her boot. Frustrated, she kicked him a second time with more force. She heard a grunt in return and hissed,"K-Kamamoto-san, please get up...!"

Haruna felt him stir under her foot and heard the crowd leave.

He stood up and grabbed the plastic bags again. Two in each arm and four still on the ground. "I-I won't cause you anymore trouble. I must be going. Take care, Aigasa-chan." Despite saying that, he didn't budge and continued to look out in the distance. She simply stood there awkwardly staring from his face to the bags.

He turned to her and apologized again,"S-Sorry. Do you think you can help me out with these?"

Haruna sighed and gave out a laugh and took up the bags in her arms.

"Sure."

* * *

Yata tapped his fingers on his leg with annoyance at one of the tables of Bar HOMRA. He complained and lurched forward while clutching his stomach,"That fatty is taking forever."

"Fatty...?" Kusanagi lifted his head to think before scolding him,"Yata-chan! Kamamoto has dinner! Didn't I tell you to help him carry the load back?"

A man's shades glinted in the sunlight as he began to poke fun at the vanguard,"Can you do something useful with your life?"

"Bandou! Shut up! I-I was occupied!"

"Fighting over a girl!" A young man with a HOMRA cap over his brown hair chirped,"Ah. Young love."

"You're still young, Akagi. I'll murder you!"

"I feel sorry for whoever this chihuahua fell for." Another curled up on the couch mumbled in English with a packet of crackers in his mouth and a hand held video game console in his hands.

"What did you just say, you giant baby? Why do you always have to speak English to me, hah?! T-That girl was... was- she was ugly! Who'd fall for such an u-ugly hag! Some eyesight they would have!"

"Hag? She's a year younger than you. What are you talking about?" Kusanagi was behind the bar polishing his prized glasses and protested,"I thought that she was cute. You seem pretty idiotic to me."

Haruna entered the bar at the moment and stood there looking at the man at the counter,"I'm awfully flattered, but I don't think I would want to be hearing that from a twenty-six year old man who could be labeled as a pedophile."

"Aigasa-chan!"

"I-It's that woman!"

"Eh? The shorty knows a woman?"

"I didn't even know Yata and 'woman' could go in the same sentence..."

"YOU BASTARDS." He stood up from his chair and cracked his knuckled as he made his way towards Bandou and 'the big baby'. I CAN HEAR YOU!" Akagi and Kamamoto did their best to lock his arms behind his back and restrain him from wrecking havoc inside Kusanagi's precious bar.

Amongst all the uproar that her arrival had caused, the girl walked up towards Kusanagi who wiped his wine glasses and watched the scene unfold in front of him. He didn't seem to notice either when she took up a bar stool and placed the bags of vegetables in front of him.

"Kusanagi-san?"

She watched the bartender look out to the three men who continued to pester Yata. It was a forlorn look and for some reason the words that weren't meant to spill out of her mouth had made their way out,

"The Red King's aura is intensifying."

Snapping back from his sort of trance he looked over to her tiredly,"Is that so?"

She tapped her fingers on the bar and scanned the shelves filled with the variety of alcoholic beverages behind him,"You're not worried? He's locked up, right? Where's a king without his clansmen?"

Another one of those soft smiles that she had seen before appeared again,"I'm am." He placed the wine glass into a compartment below the bar and wiped his hands with the white cleaning cloth,"But our king had turned himself in to Scepter 4 willingly during one of our encounters."

She heard the loud quarrel that was ensuing behind her cease. It seemed this topic grabbed their attention quickly.

"Why?" She asked softly.

"Kings and auras. They have a price." His gaze went back out to Yata who was caught in a headlock by the man in glasses.

"The Sword of Damocles. A sword created from the very auras that each king possesses. When kings use their power, their Sword of Damocles hang in the sky above them; threatening to fall if their power become unstable."

Power comes with a price. She nodded her head lightly to show her understanding. The thought of a giant, floating sword above them seemed strange. It almost seemed funny to her, but if it was really capable of falling like Kusanagi said... Well, that's terrifying.

"I don't know if Mikoto will come back."

Yata was clearly growing pissed. "Kusanagi-san, are you doubting Mikoto-san too?" Yata's voice asked shakily. Haruna turned the bar stool and faced the boy wearing the beanie. His eyes narrowed to the floor and his hands her clenched into tight fists. She could see the blood draining from his knuckles and rushing up to his cheeks furiously.

"Mikoto-san..." He paused," Mikoto-san didn't abandon us!"

The HOMRA members stood in their places silently before Kusanagi spoke up again affirming the previous claim,"Mikoto didn't abandon any of us."

Beginning to feel like she was intruding, Haruna thought a bit reasons why the Red King had turned himself in.

_'Sir, the Red King's aura seems to be intensifying within his cell.'_

_'...Their Sword of Damocles hang in the sky above them; threatening to fall if their power becomes unstable.'_

The words that were said here and back at the office came back to her and her thoughts switched back to the Sword of Damocles.

"Kusanagi-san?" She gasped when a silly idea popped into her head. Without even thinking, it all came tumbling out,"Maybe his Sword of Damocles is about to fall."

* * *

**A/N: Haruna knows how talk without using any active brain cells.**

**Guests, h0tan, and happyrice: Buahaha, I have made her... ta-da: CONSIDER!  
What will be her ultimate decision? She won't be deciding by the next chapter, but she'll be contemplating it seriously. Fufufu-**

**Sesshylover978: Thank you, thank you! I really appreciate it! Her final answer has yet to come. C:**

**oXo Akino oXo: Thank you! ;)**

**pammazola: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**SmileRen: A twist it was indeed! Now... I wonder how Kusanagi will react to Haruna's comment.**

**My spring break has over for quite sometime, but I hope to update again over the weekend.  
**

**See you next time! C:**


	10. Dinner with HOMRAー

**強い人と弱い人****  
The Strong and The Weak**

**Chapter 10 : Dinner with HOMRAー**

* * *

Of course, Yata was the first to disagree,"That's not possible!" He threw down a fist onto the counter and shook his head in denial,"H-He's not losing control of anything!" He raised his hand back into the air and swung it back down forcefully,"Mikoto-san is invincible!" **  
**

How old was he again?

Kusanagi's expression didn't seem to change though, neither did he make any reaction. He had remained silent. Haruna knew that the man was out of it once she entered the bar and maybe he was just too tired to care about an outrageous opinion of a girl that he just met only this morning.

"Well, he gave himself up to the blues..."

Yata whipped around from the bar and held the large man by the collar of his white jacket,"What was that? Are you doubting Mikoto-san?! Kamamoto!"

"I didn't mean anything by it." Kamamoto admitted.

Still on the couch, the foreigner spoke up again; this time in Japanese,"Impulsive brat."

Haruna couldn't agree more.

Yata removed his grip on Kamamoto's collar and pointed angrily at the other blonde,"I actually understood that!" He beamed with pride,"I know some English!"

Bandou pat Yata's head lightly,"Sure. You probably spent all night learning that one sentence."

"Don't treat me like a kid!"

Haruna had to take this one,"It's hard when you act like one."

Another voice was heard accompanied by a whistle,"Yata just got whipped by a female. I'm starting to get jealous." Four other men entered the bar and greeted everybody with 'yo' and 'we're back'.

They all dispersed in the bar; their arrival stirring up a bigger storm of chatter between one another. One of the men strode up to the bar and sat in one of the seats next to Haruna,"What's for dinner tonight, Kusanagi-san?"

Kusanagi brought out all the plastics and searched inside each one of them.

"Seems like tonight," He brought out a stalk of a vegetable shaped in a 'Y',"We'll be having leek stew."

"Vegetable soup?!" The man next to her complained beside her,"Kusanagi-san! I thought we were going to have meat!"

Kusanagi placed the leek back into the bag with the other vegetables and soup condiments. He shrugged and started to prepare a drink,"It's best that we catch up with the other food groups."

Kusanagi slid the drink over to the man with the short brown, wavy hair. "While you're at it, could I get another drink for the lady here too?" He turned to Haruna and gave a quick wink to her,"Yo Chitose."

Ew. Gross.

The bartender laughed nervously and refused,"That I can't do for you, Chitose-kun." Eyes still locked on her's he asked him,"And why's that?"

"Aigasa-chan is still under aged." He bent down slightly and folded his arms on the bar as he smiled at Haruna,"She's eighteen."

It didn't sink into his mind right away, so when the drink Chitose had started to sip slowly found its way into his lungs, he was thrown into a fit of coughs.

Haruna placed her head into her hands and sighed,"Do I really look that old to all of you?"

The whole place grew silent and she turned around to see the other men nodding slightly as they exchanged their ideas about how old she looked.

"At least twenty-one."

"With that face, I'd go with at least twenty-five."

"Hah? Did you look at her chest?"

_Did that just come from Yata? Damn it, I.. I have breasts!_

Upset, Haruna stood up from her chair and went up to Yata who continued,"Hardly developed! Their as flat as a wash-"

She pushed him into a table and shouted out all flustered,"I-I'm not going to be told that again! **Ever**. Again."

_'Zero sex appeal!'_

Sashimi's words were coming back to her now and it made her even more conscious. The other HOMRA members just watched their comrade fall to the ground with the elevated table. Mouth open, Kusanagi was rendered speechless as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. A piece of his bar (his whole heart and soul) landed to the ground with an unpleasant crash.

Beanie-less, Yata sat up from the floor placed a hand on his head,"Fuck that! You're no w-wo-woman!"

"_W-wo-woman_? She inquired smugly,"What's a _w-wo-woman_?"

The room erupted in laughter. A clearly embarrassed Yata retrieved his beanie and pulled it over his eyes. A loud slam of palms on the bar caught everyone's attention. Angrily, Kusanagi put Yata on the spot,"Oi! You better pull yourself together or you'll be paying a lot more than the monthly rent you're already paying for your apartment!"

"Did you not just see what she just-"

He slammed his hands on the wood again and articulated,

"**Pick. Up. The. Table.**"

* * *

At Kusanagi's request, Haruna decided to stay for dinner. Yata ended up making the dinner tonight and once he had finished cooking she was impressed. The soup looked pretty well made and it gave a mouth watering aroma of sourness and pure goodness, but the vegetables looked like floppy rubber that floated limply on the surface.

"How did you cook the vegetables?" Rikio poked a section of the leek stalk in his soup.

Yata continued to pour the contents of the large pot of soup in each bowl for everybody. Each person took a bowl and scattered across the room: some sat on the coach, the bar and the other tables in the middle of the room. "Hah? Are you complaining Kamamoto?" He questioned. "I cook pretty damn good food!" The impulsive brat added.

Kusanagi still stood behind the bar as he took a sip of the soup. "Yata-chan is the cook around here." He told Haruna,"Aren't you going to eat? It tastes much better than it looks."

Her senses beckoned her further and she brought the bowl to her lips. The seasoning was just right and she swore she could've tasted soy sauce. The combination of sour and salty was amazing. Kusanagi and Haruna gave out a simultaneous sound of approval. Yata crossed his arms with a look of delight and pride Of his work. The pleasant emotions that he felt were short lived when he heard the complaints of his fellow HOMRA members.

"Ugh! Too salty!"

"Man, how many lemons did you put in here?!"

"Are you trying to kill us?!"

"My blood pressure is in danger..."

Pissed, Yata snatched the bowls from Kamamoto, Chitose, Dewa and Bandou respectively. Haruna giggled at the sight; Yata put up the greatest expression of hurt and anger. She almost felt bad for laughing. Sitting on the couch together, Kousuke and the foreigner didn't say a word and continued eating their dinner. At that moment, for the fourth time today, the door chimed signaling another visiting customer. It was another man with the letters 'HMR' on his cap and a little girl with white hair in a red Lolita dress. She clutched the hem of his red jacket and made eye contact with Haruna. Her crimson eyes had contrasted with her pale skin and they seemed even more stunning when they made eye contact.

"We're back!" The man removed his cap and placed it under one of his arms.

"Ah. Akagi." Kusanagi greeted,"Welcome back. How's Basashi?"

Akagi plopped into the unoccupied seat next to Haruna and rubbed the back of his neck,"It was a lot easier bringing Anna, but those Blues still gave us a hard time." He supported rubbed the back of his neck nervously,"That woman ended up vouching for us and told me that you owed her two drinks now with three scoops of... anko?"

"Awashima-san?" Haruna asked Kusanagi who nestled his face into a palm.

Akagi turned his head to Haruna and looked at her curiously before greeting her,"Oh hello, miss. What brings you here today? I'm Shouhei Akagi."

"Shouhei." Chitose warned,"Don't."

Walking up from his seat, Bandou placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and whispered quietly into his ear. She watched as the blood slowly drained from his smiling face. When Bandou pulled away and returned to his seat, Akagi broke eye contact with her and silently ate the bowl of soup that Kusanagi placed in front of him.

Strange.

Haruna felt a light tug on her pea coat and looked down to meet the girl's mysterious gaze again. She held a blood, red marble to her eye. The colors seemed so similar to each other it seemed as if they blended together. Through the marble she looked into Haruna's eyes as if she were evaluating her. Instinctively, Haruna placed a hand on her tiny head and stroked it; lightly brushing the soft, ivory strands of hair. After what seemed like a minute or two, Haruna removed her hand and the little girl made light steps up the set of the stairs at the end of room. Besides Haruna, no one seemed to notice.

"Aigasa-chan?" Kusanagi stared at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?"

"I was wondering how your apartment is doing."

"Oh."

She stared down at her hands and admitted,"Not... Too good actually." She elaborated,"You see, I'm not from Shizume City originally; I actually moved here to attend Ashinaka. My parents send me money monthly for rent, food and etcetera. Just enough to get me by."

Indicating he was following along, he nodded his head. Kusanagi lit up another smoke with his tiny lighter and added,"Even if you save money for a year, it isn't enough to pay off those damages?"

"Sadly, it's true."

Sitting beside her, Chitose noticed the frown that started to form on her face and he pat her on the back lightly; attempting to cheer up. Akagi, who had also been listening commented,"That sucks." He asked,"What kind of damages are they?"

"Ah..." She trailed off a bit as she started to remember,"Puncture marks on the wall, broken furniture, smashed light fixtures, overthrown wood boards from the flooring, ruined carpeting, more knife marks..." She stopped herself. Each detail she recalled and came out of her mouth was excruciating to her poor mind.

Akagi turned around to Bandou who sat by himself at a table,"San-chan! This is so sad! You have to listen to this!"

"Shut up." He grumbled before going back to his food.

He patted Haruna's back and gave her a thumbs up,"What's your name?"

"Haruna Aigasa."

"Okay! How about this Aigasa-san." He removed his hand and grabbed his hat from under his arm. He placed it on his head and proposed,"We'll make sure they pay." He smashed a fist into his palm and she felt the sweat starting to drop from her forehead.

A few seats to her right, Haruna heard someone spurt their soup from from their mouth followed by the slam of a bowl onto a table.

"So, who did it?"

"I'm not sure you'd be able to carry out the job, Akagi-kun."

Haruna and Kusanagi leaned forward. Both stared at Yata who looked back at them like a deer caught in the headlights. She thought it was a little cute. "Hah? What the hell are you looking at Akagi?" The cute expression didn't last long and it turned into an intimidating scowl once Akagi was looking as well.

"Nothing at all, Yata-san." He replied followed by nervous laughter.

Realizing that it was getting dark, Haruna looked up at the clock hanging on the wall behind Kusanagi. She hasn't had this much fun in ages, but she had to go. Her parents were going to make their monthly call. As she stood up to go, she left her bowl on the counter and the men she had conversed with briefly at the bar asked,

"You're leaving already?"

She read the clock again and nodded sadly,"It's past my curfew. Thank you for having me." She smiled at them,"I'm glad I met you guys."

The boys looked at each other before Chitose fanned his hand at her and shook his head,"You're making it sound like we won't see you again after this. We're enjoying your company! Its only nine. Stay a little longer."

Right next to him, Dewa bonked him on the head with his the base of his palm,"Which gives her even more of a reason to leave, idiot. It's already dark out."

Kusanagi gave a startling whistle. Apparently that was directed at Yata when he leaned over the counter and groaned,"What, Kusanagi-san?"

He clasped his hands together and placed his chin on top as he beamed at their vanguard,

"Escort our young lady home, Yatagarasu."

* * *

**A/N: Scary, Scary Kusanagi-san and Yata-chan.  
It's Yata's turn to escort Haruna back home. What will happen?**

**I hope I'm not boring any of you with this chapter. This was mainly for introducing the other HOMRA boys into the story. Yata, Haruna and Fushimi moments will come about soon.  
**

**I always look forward to your guys' reviews.**

**pammazola: Thank you as well! Haha, the way he invades people's spaces makes him look even more like a hentai. D8**

**SmileRen: And that question will remain in Haruna's mind until she makes the final decision. ;)**

**hakezu: I'm glad I gave you a good laugh!  
**

**Happyrice: Someone had to say it, haha. She will meet the Scepter 4 members as well. When? Who knows, haha. Don't cry yourself to death! XD  
**

**Buahaha, I said that I was going to update last weekend, but I didn't! I was unable to update on Sunday because it was just too quick for me. I need to take a little more time on this one. I'M HOPING I DIDN'T MAKE THE OTHER HOMRA MEMBERS TOO OOC EITHER. RG(#$*%(#$C)#) MCPWERO)#(%-**

**See you guys next time. C:**


	11. The Face of a Bratー

**強い人と弱い人****  
The Strong and The Weak**

**Chapter 11 : The Face of a Bratー**

* * *

"Damn it." Yata scratched his head vigorously before putting his beanie back on his head,"He did this on purpose."

Haruna slowly walked behind Yata who looked as if he was trudging in a lake of goo.

"Am I already such a bother to you?" Haruna pretended to be hurt. She breathed out into the night air and watched the warm breath rise and dissipate like smoke.

"N-No! I didn't mean to offend you! I just-" His hands fell to his sides in defeat,"I-I'm sorry."

"What an adorable brat." She giggled to herself.

Yata who was walking ahead of her whipped around and yelled into the winter air,"What's with all this 'brat this' and 'brat that' shit! It's pissing me off!"

Haruna laughed even harder and pointed at him,"Why are you shouting into the sky? I'm right here!"

He ripped his beanie off his head and tightly gripped it in his hands,"W-Women piss me off so much!"

Yata turned away from her and continued to stomp ahead of her as she laughed at him the whole way to her apartment.

Once they reached Room 18, Yata whipped around again to face Haruna and growled,"Will you stop laughing woman! It's getting on my nerves!"

She slapped him on the shoulder and laughed in his face,"You really are a cute brat."

"What was that?!" He wrung the beanie in his hands and asked furiously.

"Oh no! He's angry!" She ran past him; quickly unlocking the door to her apartment before disappearing inside and slamming the door close. She heard him knock lightly, but the girl didn't bother unlocking it for him. He knocked again, but she didn't budge. She heard him grumble loudly and knock harder on the door. Haruna compared it to this morning and the thought got her laughing all over again.

She knew Yata-san heard her uncontrollable laughter when he started again,"You little... What are you? A fucking kid?!"

"You're one to talk Yata-san." She commented amusedly as she watched him through the little glass peephole at the top of her door,"Besides, why do you want me to open the door for you? You just had to walk me home right?"

Haruna watched his face burn up in embarrassment. Just like he had done at the bar, he placed his beanie back onto his head. The color of his cheeks now was comparable to his hair. A light red. She thought about it for a bit and realized that he blushed an awful lot.

She decided to play with him some more and gasped,"My goodness, Yata-san. I'm not some girl you can take advantage now just because it's streetwalking hour! Have some decency!"

Yata slammed his fist on the door obnoxiosly and stuttered loudly,"W-Woman! Hold your tongue! I-I'd never-"

He never got to finish when the man next door to her screamed,"SHUT THE HELL UP, BRAT. I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

Haruna's laughter had ceased in that moment. Before Yata could counter, she finally unlocked her door and dragged him inside by the collar; covering his mouth with her hands. She heard the man open his door and step out with his house slippers. The eighteen year old felt the older of the two squirm and claw at her hands. Briskly, she brought herself with him towards the floor and waited silently. It hurt, but she knew it would be worth it. Haruna didn't like that guy next door and thought it was best to take Yata from the trouble of hating him too. He had just moved in a week ago, but she had her suspicions.

She just couldn't put her finger on it.

When she was sure that he had left and heard the door close, she gave a huge sigh of relief and looked down to check on Yata whose head was laying in her lap. She removed her hands and glided them over his cheeks to the locks of hair that poked out of his beanie.

"Yata?" She whispered as he pulled one of his hairs.

It was just silence at the dark entryway and she started to get nervous. Not because it was just the two of them, a boy and a girl alone an apartment, but because he wasn't giving any sort of reply to her. She slapped his cheek lightly and waited again, but there was still no response.

Freaking out, she dragged from under his arms. Before she entered the real area of her living shoestrings let him go for a minute to unzip her boots before kicking them off. One by one, she took off Yata's sneakers as well and threw them behind her aimlessly.

This would be embarrassing if he was conscious, but he's not so who the hell cares?

She lifted him by his knees and cradled him in her arms. Despite being her height, the young man was much heavier than she thought. She succeeded in carrying him to her room and throwing him onto her bed. Her chocolate eyes lit up with pride. She's never lifted so much weight in her life. Her eyes wandered back to Yata's limp body.

A male body was on her bed.

She clapped her hands in front of her and her knees collapsed onto the carpet floor of her bedroom.

"Dear Lord. Kami-sama." She wailed,"At the age of eighteen, I have a man in my bed. No, wait! He's _on_ my bed! Technically, he's not _in_ my bed because he's not under the comforter and in the sheets."

She closed her eyes and raised a finger in the air,"The point is; I didn't break my promise to you because he isn't _in _**my**_ bed_! Okay? Haruna breathed out as she stood up and stared back at the body on her bed,"Okay! I'll just move him..."

As usual, she swung her hair over one shoulder and played around with their ends as she observed him. His expression was so peaceful compared to the way he usually looked when he's up and about. She was certain that this was a rare sight.

She mulled to herself a bit before mumbling to herself and rushing out of the room with cheeks ablaze,"I'll just sleep on the couch he mutilated."

The blushing girl came back inside her room briefly; poking her head out of the door stammering,"G-Good night, Yata-san...!"

* * *

**A/N: BANZAI. THIS CHAPTER WAS MUCH SHORTER THAN I ORIGINALLY INTENDED.  
**

**What will happen the next day? To be found out next chapter. Thank you for your reviews, follows and favorites. I always look forward to them.  
**

**SmileRen: I'm so very glad she is.  
Not in this chapter! Maybe... next chapter? c;  
**

**Ashley xo: Hey again! Nice to see you!  
I'm so happy! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter because you really lit up my day! **

**Sessylover978: I had so much fun writing that chapter. I almost found it too hard to keep them in character, haha.  
**

**Eruruu4: It's coming. 8D  
**

**Maya095: Buahaha, Thank you!  
**

**Guest #1: I'm glad you're liking it so far. I hope she makes the decision that's right for her. ;)  
**

**robekka: We shall see~  
I must agree as well; both Yata and Fushimi. Thank you! I'm glad you're liking it so far! :)  
**

**Guest #2: Thank you~ I'm so glad you think so~  
I have an explanation for the lack of updates lately and it shall be provided after these set of reviews. Stay tuned. c:  
**

**Guest #3: We shall see~ Heeheehee...  
**

**Kumaome: AND UPDATED I HAVE. c;  
Hope you enjoyed it. c:  
**

**So, I have finals this coming month and you know what that means? STUDY STUDY STUDY STUDY. Along with those, I have AP Course Exams! Yippee! D:**

**And as I explained to Guest #2, I SHALL NOT GIVE UP ON THIS EVER-  
If it seems like I did for good, you may PM me and say something along the lines of:  
AUTHOR-SAMA, UPDATE.  
**

**See you next time. C:**


	12. Just Something Normalー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak**

**Chapter 12: Just Something Normalー**

* * *

Haruna woke up to a strange sound that came from her bedroom. Believing that it was the same damn, obese squirrel that would strangely wiggle its way through her window from time to time, she crept quietly down the hall with hopes of scaring it senseless back out the window. It was just painful to hear as she drew closer. Did it possibly become so overweight that when it jumped through her window this time it completely splat even on her soft, carpet flooring? Upon reaching the door, she swung it open violently shouting,

"YOU LITTLE DEMON."

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE."

The owner of the voice had completely disregarded that he was called a demon, but was clearly bothered by being called little. Haruna found that very odd and amusing. Her eyes flit to the bed and spotted a Yata who angrily took a pillow in his hands. I guess she was too tired to tell that it was obviously Yata and she suddenly felt stupid.

"Oh, it's just you Yata-san."

"THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?!"

She walked over to him and gently raised the beanie that covered a portion of his forehead.

"W-What is it?" He pouted,"Why the fuck are you touching me?"

She really, really wanted to scrub that mouth of his.

"When I dragged you inside, you just passed out on me." Haruna mumbled as she placed a hand on her forehead as well; comparing the two's temperatures,"Are you sick? What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened." She watched as Yata swallowed the lump in his throat,"You suffocated me."

Her chocolate eyes seemed to glow brighter as they widened and she started to remember. She covered his mouth, but did she check if she covered something else? The clawing at her hands and no sign of breathing.

She covered his nose too?

Not as surprisingly forceful as his voice, Yata removed the hand from his forehead and exclaimed loudly,"Hah? You remember now, wo-"

"Haruna."

"Eh?"

"My name." She pointed to herself as if she was talking to a single celled idiot. She articulated as slow as she to ensure that he understood,"HA-RU-NA."

"Listen woman-"

"HA-RU-NA."

His eyes narrowed at her and formed a very intent glare as he cleared his throat and corrected himself,"Listen HA-RU-NA,"

She cringed at how obnoxious and mockingly he said her name.

"Did you hit yourself on the head yesterday night because you seemed a lot more clueless than you look."

This damn brat.

Just like her all time favorite bartender, Haruna grabbed the collar of his white short sleeve and dragged him out of her bed with his yells behind her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Come up with something more original!" She hissed.

"What's your damn problem?!" He raised his voice again,"What else am I supposed to say?" He put up a mocking tone,"Oh, I think you're dragging me. Please stop? No fuc-"

She swung her front door open and threw him out with force she never thought she had.

"Come back when your mouth is dishwashed."

She slammed the door on him as he angrily extended an arm out to towards her from the ground. Surprisingly, he was quiet and she assumed that he decided to retire from all the ruckus. She scratched her head vigorously before making her way back to the room. A normal day was some thing that she wanted. How did she describe normal?

Something that actually went her way for once.

Her head hadn't actually grasped what happened these past days. Although she wasn't flailing her arms around in confusion and fear, her insides were doing outrageous stunts that made her heart feel as if it was beating like a hummingbird.

Suffocatingly fast.

Her slippers scratched on the floor as she shuffled along the wood flooring of the narrow hall.

"You were very loud yesterday." She turned around to the voice behind her and opened her mouth to speak. The light peaking from the green polka dotted curtained window shined towards her and only allowed her to see a dark, shadowy figure; she couldn't make out any distinguishing features with his back towards the light. What she could tell was that the man had a rather lanky figure and had no sign of any muscle.

"Who's there?" She asked harshly in the darkness of the hall.

There was a pound on the door and she heard Yata calling for her. When she blinked once and the figure was gone, but she quickly ran to the door in flight. Haruna wrapped he hand around the door knob and attempted to turn it.

Another slam on the door.

And it wasn't from Yata, but by another. Her head turned to see an arm blocking her from moving anywhere else.

"The door," She heard the man say in ear. Haruna twisted the door knob even harder, but there was no click. "I made sure no one would interfere.

Hesitantly, she removed her grip and turned around to face him. The light finally shown through and he had a prominent smirk on his face. He had hair like her's; just short and a little more sandy. His eyes gleamed like emeralds as it scanned her.

She had to admit that he was a looker.

The girl took a swing at his face; even if it was pretty cute. With a swift reflex, he caught it with no problem. It didn't stop her and she took another swing into his gut. Upon impact, he placed an arm over his lower abdomen and squatted to the floor as he looked up at her.

"Haruna-san! What the hell is happening in there?!" She heard Yata from behind the door as she continued to shake the doorknob in vain. "Open up!"

"Yata!" She cried in desperation,"It's not budging!"

Suddenly, a pain shot through her head and unrelentingly she let go once again. Involuntarily, she let out a scream of pain and attempted to claw the hand that pulled the bushel of hairs on her head.

She kicked him this time in the perfect spot and sent him to the ground again. The eighteen year old grabbed the hairs on her head and straightened them out; lightly tugging them in an attempt to soothe the roots of each of them.

"See what happens when you mess with someone's precious treasure?" She snarled and glowered at the man below,"You're lucky I didn't rip them out of your pants with-"

She clasped a hand over her mouth and exclaimed in disbelief,"Oh gross, did I just say that?! You know, I'd actually never do such a thing!" She leaned down and poked his cheek,"But you have some nerve to do something like that- barging into someone's home like that." My god, that was best counter she ever had.

Well, that was the only thing that was awesome. Everything else for Haruna was downright uncalled for, unsettling and abrupt.

Remembering Yata, she made another attempt to unlock the door, but she failed once more. What in the world did this man do to her door?

"Yata-san." Haruna called out to him. She heard a shuffle behind the door and she confirmed his prescence,"It really won't budge. Could you try something?"

"Haruna. Move away from the door. Now." Yata responded.

Realizing he was serious, she stepped to side and waited. Haruna didn't care anymore if he blew her door down with the heat of his fire. If the guy on her floor woke up, she wasn't sure if she would succeed in kicking him down again or try once more to open it only to find out that it was futile.

Yata didn't burn her door down to her surprise, but she felt and heard him slam into the wood threshold multiple times before she caught one of her door hinges glint and fly off; hitting the wood paneling. In front of her now was Yata staring down at her slightly with dilated pupils; staring at her as if she had gotten shot or something. He gripped his beanie in his hands and she had the strangest feeling. He actually looked older than her for once. No, that wasn't the right term to describe it.

He looked more like a man.

"What the hell are you-" He looked down at the body on the floor before looking back up at her and pointing at it,"What the hell is this?!"

"What?"

"The hell is this guy doing here?"

Dazed, Haruna looked down at the man's body again and stated monotonously,"Oh."

"Don't 'oh' me! Did you do this? Girls aren't supposed to be so violent! I knew you weren't a-"

She took his beanie from his hands and grabbed the top of his hair; earning a loud yelp.

"What? I'm a woman, damn it! Get it through your stupid head!"

"Masculine!" Yata said as he squirmed under her grip,"Brutal! Washboard!"

"Brat!"

"I'm sorry for intruding."

The door was wide open and right outside stood no other than the captain of Scepter 4.

"Hah? You're-"

"Munakata!" Haruna dropped Yata with a huge thump and ran over to her newest visitor. "What brings you here?"

She eyed him carefully and noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual uniform. It was a grey turtleneck accompanied with a black jacket and matching jeans.

"Aigasa-kun. Do you mind?" He asked with his baritone voice.

She nodded as he began to remove his leather shoes.

Geez, so fancy.

She felt a light punch on her shoulder and turned her head to meet Yata's burning gaze. He looked a bit irritated and leaned in to her ear,"Oi! Why are you letting a blue in here?"

"HOMRA's vanguard," Munakata smiled at the young man who emerged behind Haruna,"Yata Misaki?"

"Scepter 4's captain," Yata scoffed,"Munakata's Reisi. You gonna arrest me too?"

The man lowered his head and chuckled; moving his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a finger. Haruna wondered if that was a habit of his.

"No, no- Not today. Besides..." He trailed off as he entered the apartment and looked around. He brought a hand to one of the deep cuts on the whitewashed walls of her living room,"You're King is already more than enough trouble."

Haruna felt the boy in front of her burning with rage. She still couldn't believe how easily one who could intimidate him. It didn't take much to light the short fuse. He seemed about ready to attack. A vanguard and a King? Who's going to win?

Of course, its the King.

She attempted to divert the attention from Munakata to the man's unconscious body on the floor,"Captain, care to explain to this me?"

The two men looked down at her intruder before them. Munakata bent down and observed the body for a bit before lifting one of the pant leg to reveal a red ankle. The other parts of the skin maintained its light complexion and it seemed that the red spot was caused by some irritation of some sort. She noticed a metal circlet that rested at the very bottom of his leg. It seemed like it a contraption that one could simply remove a slight tug, but she knew that this guy had tried one too many times.

"I apologize, Aigasa-kun."

"Eh?"

"It appears that I've troubled you again." He started,"You know this residential area contains a majority of the strains on probation."

"Why the fuck do you let criminal strains on probation?" Yata grumbled as he retrieved his skateboard,"It makes no god damn sense."

"Don't get me wrong, our more lethal strains are kept within our facilities." Munakata explained,"It just so happens that we tagged the wrong person."

"Even good ol' Scepter 4 makes shitty mistakes."

The captain just kept silent to that and tilted his head again with a small smile.

Haruna looked down and squatted beside this "strain". It was strange. She's lived here for half a year already and she didn't even realize people like this guy passed out on her floor were her neighbors all around her or even existed at all. She took the circlet in her fingers and started to mess around with it. The blue stood up again and walked around the room once more; taking in his broken surroundings.

"There's judgement written all over your face, Munakata."

"Nonsense. I was merely recalculating the sum of all the damages."

"That's not the only thing that'll need repairing once I'm through with y-"

"Yata-san." Haruna cut him short and shot him her best death glare,"No."

His cheeks kinda puffed out slightly like a pufferfish.

That face he was making... Was he pouting again at her?

It was kind of adorable.

Her attention shifted back to Munakata who started to speak to someone over his PDA. She felt the distaste on her tongue and the now ill-tempered girl had the reoccurring feeling of bashing a person's head on her murdered walls; specifically a certain apathetic, blue haired man that she absolutely detested.

"Fushimi-kun. Please dispatch a group to retrieve a strain. No. Those aren't needed." She watched as the captain nodded his head and give hums of approval,"Room 18." He ended the call and Yata already looked irritated as he began to fidget on the snow white couch.

Noticing this, Munakata suggested to him,"Perhaps you should leave before you give us more reason to arrest you." Haruna realized that the Scepter 4 captain also knew what would potentially come about once that retrieval team arrived.

It meant the stupid fish.

It meant another murderous brawl.

And then more debt she had to owe to Scepter 4.

Haruna was silent; simply staring at the Blue King and Red Vanguard. She continued for another moment before taking action and dragging Yata out from the couch the old fashioned way by his collar.

"Let go of me, Haruna or I swear-"

"Swearing is bad kid, and I think you should go over your honorifics."

"Woma-" She threw him out the door for the second time today (hopefully for good) and slammed it shut; leaning on the door and eying another amethyst pair intently.

"Don't aggravate that man in my house." Haruna felt the long strands of her hair stand up on her head as she hissed.

"My presence seemed to be already aggravating." Munakata lifted a brow,"You said a man, but earlier you-"

"He is not the only person you're beginning aggravate."

"I do hope you're not forgetting that you still have another problem that could potentially regain consciousness."

"Damn it. Why even worry anymore?" Haruna looked down at the body on the floor and groaned,"You're the Blue King, you can beat the shit out of some... strain thing."

* * *

**A/N: The strain seemed too sudden? A bit too random? It will all be explained next chapter- From who he is, his behavior and..? **

**On a side note: *CRIES***

**I must've screwed up my characterization- figures after two weeks+ of no writing or updates. This was rushed. Completely and utterly rushed. Auto-correct on iPhones make it all the more worse. Time to grab a computer soon for better edits. :U  
**

**grahak: Thank you so much! The wait is over for now and I plan on adding Saru into the next chapter... most likely with his point of view. 3**

**oXo Akino oXo: Thank you! Bwahaha, I did my best and I'm hoping all that studying was worth it- I'll find out mid July on how I did on the exam. Saru x Haruna moments? Hehehe... Me too, me too.**

**Guest #1: Thank you! That means a lot! 3  
You will find out soon~**

**Eryn Goddess of Chaos: Dadadadaaaaaaaa- Indeed, she has suffocated him on accident. I'm sorry for the confusion; I did mean for it to be a little mystery on how he passed out, but you got it on the dot, haha. xD**

**Guest #2: MAYBE TEEHEE~**

**Guest #3: Whew, thanks I needed that. I really hope I did well enough to pass! = u =  
SOOOOON. I PROMISE. I'll definitely make her choose before chapter 16. c:**

**Rasielis: Thank you, thank you! I'm glad you like her! Her partner shall be... Ahaha, we'll see who she picks~ C;  
**

**I will attempt to write Fushimi's POV upon his arrival next chapter. Haruna shall also receive a crash course on strains.**

**HUGS AND KISSES FOR EVERYBODY, AND:  
See you next time. c:**


	13. Tch! Stupid Girlー

**強い人と弱い人  
The Strong and The Weak**

**Chapter 13: Tch! Stupid Girlー**

* * *

Saruhiko leaned back in his chair after ending the call with his captain. His other superior, Seri Awashima, leaned over his desk and dropped a stack of papers on his desk in front of him.; giving him a view of her rather large breasts.

"Fushimi-kun. I need these papers looked over and signed if necessary by the end of your shift."

"Vice captain-"

Awashima silenced him with a hand,"No more excuses. These papers-" She placed her palm on the large stack,"Are the same ones you quit doing and walked out on yesterday evening after the first half hour. I suggest you get moving if don't want this week's pay docked off."

"Tch."

"Alright then."

"Vice captain. Captain had just contacted me with information on a strain that was on probation that needs detainment."

"Right. You just got off the line with the captain." The blonde had already moved on to monitor the rest of her subordinates and sighed,"I suppose those papers could wait- but they need to be done by the end of this week, but Fushimi-kun... If you can make it brief, then by all means- Do so."

"Yes, ma'am." Saruhiko shut his computer and stood up from his seat.

"You two-" He spotted two of his subordinates ahead of him and ordered,"Akiyama. Domyouji. With me."

* * *

Upon arrival, Haruna's door was already wide open. He was well aware that she was involved in this. He led his men upstairs and stood next to his captain who was already in the room. His men went to work on the strain as he addressed him,"What did this thing do?"

"It is: 'What did this man do?', Fushimi-kun," His King walked to the door and turned around,"Besides, what does a man want from someone he is clearly obsessed with?"

Saruhiko kept silent and he turned around to see Haruna sitting on the couch with a hand on her brow.

Akiyama came into the room and disclosed to his high ups,"There are pictures of a certain girl within the strain's bedroom. Its..." He took a deep breath before going back to his PDA,"Extensive."

He knew she heard him. Saruhiko watched the words of his seaweed haired subordinate sink into Haruna as she covered her mouth in disbelief; her eyes twitching with disgust as they were cast to the floor.

This strain might've been some obsessed, deluded pervert, but this woman must have done something to spark some thing that had caused this preventable outcome.

"I want to see."

She what-?

"Sashimi, I want to see."

Why would she want to see something that would potentially make things worse for her?

So stupid.

Just like somebody he knew perfectly well.

He simply walked out the door; past his subordinates and out the door towards the room next door to the right of her apartment. He didn't bother taking off his shoes as he had deemed it unnecessary to respect any criminal's household. However, he heard her shuffle behind him as he continued down the hall past the living room. The sound of boot zippers were heard and he couldn't careless anymore. Reaching the door to the strain's room, he opened it up and walked inside. Saruhiko made it to the center of the room and turned around to reface the wall. The third in command heard Haruna run through the hall and come to a walk once reaching his view at the bedroom door. His eyes went back to scan the multitude of pictures that covered an extensive part of the white wallpaper.

It all seemed to be progressive; starting the left, there were pictures of her at the market and walking home with her Ashinaka uniform with what looked like to be a group of friends. They were far away pictures. No close ups or anything with her looking towards the camera. As you proceeded to the right, more into the middle of the cluster, it included her apartment. Ones with her opening her door with her keys and others actually inside her house. Finally, the ones towards the right or rather the newest ones, were exclusively inside of her house.

Inside the living room, her bedroom and the bathroom to name a few.

Each were more personal as there was her silhouette when she was inside the shower and several shots of her sleeping face.

"You know, I was there when he moved in that day."

He turned his head to the side to her and raised a brow.

Haruna explained with a confused expression on her face,"It was one of those abnormally, clear blue skies of fall. I just ran into him on my way back home from school and he was there leaning with his arms crossed on the railing."

Her expression became a bit brighter.

"And he was just looking out so blissfully. And... He was really cute."

"Well-" The man turned his head to her and eyed her lazily as she shrugged,

"Shit...?"

He clicked his tongue and started out the door before he felt a warm hand placed on his shoulder.

"What?" Saruhiko asked Haruna without turning around.

"I've finally made a decision."

"And I should know what you mean by that because?"

"Hah." She chorttled,"Munakata would understand. Shoo, shoo."

She continued to press her hands behind his back to usher him furter out the door.

"Don't tell me what to do."

He quickly turned around and grasped her tiny wrists in his grip; pulling them up over her head and pinning them to the wall of the hallway. Seeing that she didn't flinch or give any sign of alarm, he placed a knee between her legs to add.

"You won't do anything to me." She whispered in the darkened hall. Her face was lightly illuminated by the light peeking through the windows. Despite saying that, Saruhiko heard her breath turn heavy and pace at a faster rate. The lack of light was still able to shine on her vulnerability.

"I'm a man."

"You are a stupid, disgusting fish." He heard her voice quiver a bit this time,"Now I suggest that you stop toying with me and actually do your job."

"And what is my job?"

"You're asking me?" She hissed,"Just get the hell off of me, Saru!"

He removed a hand from his grip on Haruna's wrists; only holding them in place with one. Impulsively, he balled up his fists and thrust it into the wall beside her head.

You shitty monkey, Saru!

Misaki's words echoed in his head; leaving him absolutely restless.

So annoying!

He clicked his tongue and leaned in closer to her. He saw her eyes shut quickly as he laid his head down on her shoulder. Everything was so annoying to him. She was especially annoying to him. He felt her shift a bit as if she was trying to make him feel more comfortable.

"Hey," She whispered through the silence. Saruhiko felt a small hand on the center of his back that gripped his coat lightly asking,"What do you want?"

The girl who reminded him of Misaki.

The way their cheeks puff out.

The way their lips form that line when their clearly spacing out.

Their impulsiveness.

"I hate every one of them." He finished out loud,"Haruna."

"You... what?"

"You know what? Here's a little tip for you-" He went on flatly,"Decide whether or not you're one of the weak or the strong because there will be no one to save you in the end."

"You're so sad." Her face wasn't the easiest to read. It was comparable to a blank canvas. "You should be on one of those de-motivational posters, Saru."

His head popped up in slight surprise that his nickname was said by another voice who's owner was not Misaki. The high school student seemed to notice his state of disorientation.

"You don't answer to me when I refer to you as Sashimi." She glowered at him,"Besides, I think a monkey is more befitting. I don't want to hate you even more just because I hate raw fish."

Saruhiko clicked his tongue again,"What kind of Japanese are you?"

"One who just doesn't like raw fish, you bastard!" She demanded,"Set an appointment! Munakata and I. Tomorrow. Four in the afternoon sharp, Mr. I'm Finally Going To Finally Do Something With My Life As Third In Command."

Saruhiko removed himself from Haruna and he must have appeared not all pleased (not that he could care any less) from the look she was starting to give him.

"Please?"

His annoyance slowly dissipated. Saruhiko drew closer to her again and asked,"Please what?"

"What? Are you deaf?"

"I heard you." The third in command admitted,"I just like to hear you beg."

"At least this is first for me hearing that you actually like _something _for once in your miserable life."

Haruna stepped away from the wall to avoid anymore contact from the man and started to walk out.

"Life isn't miserable, Haruna." He then stepped back and watched her prepare to leave as she zipped her boots up one by one to her knees. The monkey added while she clicked the heels of her boots on the section of wood flooring to ensure that everything was snug,"It's annoying and debilitating."

"You know what they say: Life is what you make it; the embodiment of a man."She sighed and scratched her head before shutting the door behind her,"This is clearly saying something."

He heard Haruna again reminding him; her voice muffled behind the forest green door,"And don't forget to schedule my appointment, _Saru_!"

* * *

**A/N: EDIT 6/12 - A shorter chapter than the rest and Saru OCness worries me, so I'll go back here and fix some quotes/thoughts before I write the next chapter. c:**

**The way I wrote Fushimi (now that I look back at this chapter) is totally crazy. This man, I'm certain... he has self control and I think I overdid it a bit, haha.**

**SmileRen: Yes, yes indeed. ;D**

**Yakame: You really put a huge grin on my face! Thank you so much! I apologize for the incredibly slow updates. It went alright surprisingly, I thought it'd be a lot worse than I thought, but I definitely failed the essay portion D: (Pssst, I might add in her answer by next chapter.) Thank you for sticking with me! :)**

**Eruruu4: Yay~ I decided to put it in Saru's POV for a change~ I'm not sure if I botched it, but I hope this compensates, ahaha.**

**indrani: Another anon who put a smile on my face! I'm glad you're liking it so far and I can tell the questions are building up~ It'll all be explained soon. Of course, I'll continue- and I'll have you in mind as well! 8D**

**oXo Akino oXo:Sorry for the wait! Thank you, haha. I'll try to update faster. c;  
**

**Diclonious57: I'd want my own Yata, bwahaha. But I'm not sure if I can withstand all the yelling and curse words. I'd probably handle it as bad as Haruna. xD**

**Yukkino Hime: Don't worry, don't worry! I don't think its lame at all! Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked it!**

**HEY GUYSSSSSSSSSSSSS GUESS WHAT:**

**Summer break finally starts on Thursday. 8D**

**What? You guys already got out?  
Aren't you lucky? Anyway, it probably means more frequent updates or less updates since I know for certain I'll have family/friend bonding time, parties, out of the country vacations, blahblahblah etc. C:  
See you next time. c:**


	14. Rambles, Not Woesー

**強い人と弱い人**  
**The Strong and The Weak**

**Chapter 14 : Rambles, Not Woesー**

* * *

Haruna found herself wandering in the quiet part of Shizume city until her feet began to ache. As long as Saruhiko was still in her apartment, there was no freakin' way she would go back yet. His gloominess and stupidity was contagious; and not only that, he was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable again. She looked up at the looming building before her with its large sign and uppercase letters spelling 'HOMRA'.

Without a second thought, she made her way up the steps and slipped inside.

Everybody was out again and Haruna found the blonde bartender, shades and all; wiping his precious glasses that he had used to serve his recent customers.

"Hey." She closed the door behind her accompanied by another tiny chime.

The man set the glass down on the wood bar before his hands moved beneath it to store the cleaning cloth,"Welcome back, Aigasa-chan." His hands moved back to the surface of the bar as she moved to sit down in one of the red seats in front of him.  
Izumo started with another one of his charming smiles. He turned to his shelves of alcoholic beverages and brought out a slim, beer-toned bottle. Haruna's eyes lit up as she watched him uncap the fragile bottle and pour the drink into the glass he had recently cleaned.

The high school girl wasn't expecting a drink, but she'd always been curious about one.

When he was finished pouring, he recapped the bottle and watched him expectantly as he leaned forward onto the bar.

She took one more look at him before raising the fragile glass to her lips. She downed the glass quickly and looked through the empty bottom of the cup at him with her glass still raised to her lips. His smirk was about the only thing she could see. A little let down, Haruna placed the glass back onto the bar slowly to eye the bartender who was chuckling to himself.

"Apple juice? What a clever bastard you are, Kusanagi-san." She pouted; putting her hand under her chin and poking the rim of the glass with a finger.

"I don't serve alcoholic drinks to minors, miss." Izumo removed the glass and placed it back under the bar,"I'd like to keep my bartender license."

"No one has to know." Haruna mumbled frustratedly.

"Speaking of no one knowing a thing," He folded his arms across his chest and looked up to the ceiling lazily,"Did you know what happened to Yata-chan yesterday? He never came back after escorting you back home."

Oh shit.

"Really?" She raised a brow and successfully appeared to seem curious,"I assumed he went straight back here."

"It's alright, Haruna." He assured her.

Huh?

"I already know he stayed the night at your place."

Shit, shit, shit-

"L-Look," She stuttered in her seat, extending her arms out in front of her and waving them around,"Nothing. Absolutely nothing happened." Her arms came around to form an 'X',"Nothing."

"He would never lay a hand on a woman." Haruna managed to hear him mutter.

"Hah?"

"What brings you here again, Aigasa-chan?" Izumo managed to steer the conversation smoothly,"What could I really help you with today?"

Now that she thought about it, Haruna didn't exactly come here with a purpose. She just wanted a place to go. Somewhere. Anywhere. It then occurred to her that she didn't know any other place than her apartment, Scepter 4 and HOMRA.

"I... Could you listen to me for a bit?" She managed to say.

Izumo took up one of the many egg shaped object that were scattered around the countertops of Bar HOMRA and nodded,"If I can listen to a drunkard's woes, I can certainly listen to an eighteen year old's."

"Hah. I wouldn't classify this sort of ramble as my 'woes', but I do believe as well that you can handle this." She tilted her head down and drew invisible circles on the wood surface,"After all, it's all about landing a job of a life time."

"Hm?" He seemed to finally give his full attention,"Someone employed you?"

"Not officially," Her head fell to the hands that were placed and clasped on her lap,"I declined it at first and Munakata gave me more time to consider-"

Haruna shot up suddenly and quickly shut her mouth. She just had to go and reveal that she was going to be working for Scepter 4- In front of a HOMRA affiliate!

However, the Red clansman was Izumo and even if she's known him for over a day, he wasn't the type of person to hassle someone harshly. Maybe a little fatherly chastising, but with his overall kind demeanor Haruna couldn't see Izumo hassling her too much. Still a little nervous. Haruna tilted her head back up to stare up at him.

"The Blue King...?" His expression showed he was pondering a bit; not even a trace of contempt at the thought of the King of their rival clan.

"I'm not going to try to stop you," The keen bartender seemed fit the pieces together,"But I'm not supporting you either."

"It's alright," Haruna accepted relieved,"I didn't expect it." Her body moved put of the chair and she made her way to jukebox at the front. Delicate fingers trailed across the dials and buttons of the large, retro device. She could tell that it wasn't used often, but it was easy to tell that it was well cleaned and maintained.

"I found something, a job, that might be right for me- as ridiculous as it may sound... to someone like you." Her eyes squinted a bit in curiosity as she clicked the various buttons that would play the different kinds of music,"I was in student council back in Ashinaka before I was taken out just days ago- I filed paper work, I put in data into the computers and planned student events... just to name a few."

Haruna heard him hum in comprehension.

"I watched the Blue clansmen work at their desks the day I went back to talk to Munakata." She continued; her hands moving up to mess around with the dials,"It reminded me so much of the duties that I was so familiar with, so... why not? I'm not in school anymore, my apartment is a piece of shit now and I have no money to pay rent or pay for the damages for that matter."

"And I'm really lazy at times." Haruna sat on the couch with a forced smile on her face,"You're not... going to hate me now, are you?"

She heard him laugh at that moment,"I don't think I can ever bring myself to hate you. As far as I can tell, you're just a simple girl who's trying to get by in life- I was the same way at your age. However, you're always getting caught up in the wrong placed at the right time." He asked with even more curiosity,"How do you do it?"

"You tell me." The girl began to laugh as well,"That's all I have. Thanks for listening-"

She was lying to herself there. Her own curiosity about the Red king grew, but as much as she wanted to ask Izumo about what he was like, Haruna didn't bother to bring him up in front of him.

"Could I still come back to visit you guys?"

"Anytime, Aigasa-chan."

Even if Izumo didn't care as much about her being affiliated with Scepter 4, her other recent acquaintances of HOMRA- Chitose, Bandou, Dewa... Maybe The Big Baby, Anna-

And Yata.

Yes, Yata would definitely despise her for this.

Haruna closed her eyes and remembered the vicious, spiteful expression the nineteen year old boy had put up at the sight of Fushimi; who was clearly a blue clansman. When she saw them in battle, she felt that it ran a little more deeper than that. The mysterious blue and red auras were smothered together violently.

Once she started her employment at Scepter 4, would she have that blue aura too?

"Thanks for everything, Kusanagi-san."

* * *

He had watched Haruna leave without another word. It was a short visit, but he felt like he saw more of her today than her last visits. All she wanted to be was practical and proficient. She wants to solve her problems. The lazy part of her was yet to be proven to him, however.

'_You're not... going to hate me now, right?'_

He chuckled to himself again,"It's not something that friends would do, either."

Izumo's gaze moved over to the keepsake the girl was admiring only minutes ago.

"Right, Tatara?"

She was still young and he didn't want her to become entangled in the current mess that would eventually grow larger-

Along with HOMRA's future plan.

* * *

**A/N: ****I just need to say that I love my family.**

**And I love you guys.**  
**I'm sorry the updates are taking forever even thought its summer break. ; u ;**  
**(Just... let me do annoying caps for this A/N... please... Don't murder me later.)**  
**I HAVE $%^%^&$^&$%#$% AP HOMEWORK FOR BIO AND LANGUAGE AND I SPEND TIME WITH MAH FAMILY. ; u ;''**

**My heart always beats with excitement and anticipation everytime I get a review. The feeling ends up in my head and I just start to gush. (I love how I cry so damn much)**

**Diclonious57: PROBABLY SOME HARDCORE FUSHIMI LOVER. O U O''**

**indrani: Bwahaha, I guess you can say that. I really don't intend to make Saru into some diehard... YANYANYANYANDEREEEEEIMAKILLUCAUSEILUVYOUUUMARRYME- **

**sereneskydragonslayer: I don't blame you. Maybe cause I totally botched his character there, bwahahaha. 本当ごめんなさい。**

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**oXo Akino oXo: Thank you, thank you, thank you! - w -  
There shall be more for you then. = w =  
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**usagi-strike: Last but not least- NICE TO SEE YOU AGAAAAIN, USA-CHAN! Thank you for the favorite and follow! ****I'll be sure to repay you, bwahaha. You are just too awesome for your own good. I should be following every single one your stories LOLOLOLOLOLOL-**

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